US President Donald Trump has said that he would have resumed strikes on Iran within an hour had he not postponed them earlier in the week at the request of regional allies, as Tehran revealed details of a new proposal to end the war launched by Washington and Israel in February.
“They knew that we were very close. I would say that I was an hour away from deciding to go today,” Trump told reporters at the White House on Tuesday.
He said the US may deal Iran “another big hit” if the sides fail to reach a permanent agreement in the coming days.
“They’re begging to make a deal. I hope we don’t have to do the war, but we may have to give them another big hit,” he said.
“I’m saying two or three days, maybe Friday, Saturday, Sunday, something. Maybe early next week, for a limited period of time, because we can’t let them have a new nuclear weapon.”
Tehran’s proposal
Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi revealed details earlier on Tuesday of Tehran’s latest proposal submitted to the US during a meeting with parliament’s National Security and Foreign Policy Committee. The US has yet to respond.
Gharibabadi said the proposal emphasises “its right to uranium enrichment and peaceful nuclear activities”, according to Iran’s official IRNA news agency.
The proposal includes “an end to conflicts across all fronts, including Lebanon; the lifting of the US naval blockade; the release of Iranian assets; and compensation by the United States for damage caused during the latest war to support reconstruction efforts”.
It also demands “the removal of all unilateral sanctions and UN Security Council resolutions and the withdrawal of US forces from areas surrounding Tehran”, he said.
