Blitz Bureau
NEW DELHI: US President Donald Trump described Iran as a “tough, smart country” while asserting that its military capacity had been severely reduced. “And against a very tough, smart country. These people were fighters, and you know, I don’t want to claim it before the fact, but they (Iran) have no Navy left. 158 ships at the bottom of the sea. 158, think of it,” Trump said.
With anticipation surrounding the possible next round of talks between the Washington and Tehran, Trump has said that the war in Iran is going “swimmingly” and that it “should be ending pretty soon.” He said this while speaking at an event in Las Vegas, Navada.
Trump also said the next meeting between the US and Iran may take place over the weekend, adding to optimism that the Iran war could be nearing an end. Trump said Iran had offered not to possess nuclear weapons for more than 20 years. Tehran’s nuclear ambitions were a sticking point at talks in Islamabad last weekend.
“We’re going to see what happens. But I think we’re very close to making a deal with Iran,” he told reporters outside the White House. Reports had said that while the US proposed a 20 year pause to Iran’s nuclear programme at Islamabad talks, while Iran had counterproposed a pause of five years.
US-Iran war began on February 28 with a US -Israeli attack and thousands have been killed since then. Oil prices have also surged, creating a major political headache for the US president. He also hinted at a possibility that he might visit Pakistan to finalise the peace deal with Iran.
