US President confirms "significant momentum" pushing Iran toward a settlement and hints at military option
Washington, Sept 22 (KUNA) -- U.S. President Donald Trump on Tuesday urged Iran to capitalize on the “great momentum” surrounding the United Nations General Assembly meetings in New York to reach a settlement with his country to end the conflict between them, while simultaneously affirming that economic pressure on Tehran would continue and that the option of returning to military action remained on the table.
Speaking at a multilateral meeting with leaders of Arab and Islamic countries on the sidelines of the New York meetings, Trump said, “There is great momentum pushing Iran to strike a deal,” expressing his belief that the crisis with Iran could be resolved immediately, even before the U.S. midterm elections. He added, “They (the Iranians) know what they need to do to reach a settlement, and they must ensure that I am not thinking about the elections at all, and that I am focused solely on ending the Iranian nuclear threat.”
He noted that the U.S. delegation, led by envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, held a “productive” meeting today with the Iranian delegation, attended by Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, on the sidelines of the New York meetings, expressing confidence that the two envoys would “resolve” the crisis with Tehran.
Trump stressed that the United States was continuing to intensify its “economic boycott,” stating, “We have completely isolated Iran economically and are pressuring them (the Iranians) to do the right thing before it is too late.” He said his country had succeeded in ending Iran’s ability to acquire a nuclear weapon, while hinting at the possibility of targeting the (Mount Fars) facility “if necessary.” Trump added that the “Iranian economy is in very bad shape and suffering from 300 percent inflation thanks to U.S. economic sanctions.”
Regarding the Strait of Hormuz, Trump affirmed that the U.S. military had succeeded in facilitating the passage of nearly one billion barrels of oil since the beginning of the crisis with Iran to ensure the flow of global energy supplies. He also noted that the U.S. Navy had removed mines from the strait, enabling a greater flow of oil that was “the largest” since the start of the conflict. (End) A.M.M. / M.A.A.
