A day before this, US President Donald Trump had said that he had canceled the planned attack on Iran at the request of Qatar, United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia.
What did Vance say about US-Iran talks?
“Very good progress is being made, but we’re going to continue to work on it and ultimately we’ll either have a deal or we won’t,” Vance said at a White House briefing.
Vance stressed that the US is prepared to resume military operations against Iran if no deal is reached.
“We’re in a very good position here — but there is an option B, and option B is that we can resume military operations,” Vance said. “We’re locked and loaded.”
He said that while the United States does not want to reignite war with Iran, US President Donald Trump “is willing and able to go down that path if we had to.”
“This is not a war that can go on forever,” he said, using a term popular among critics of the protracted nature of the U.S.-led attacks in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Trump was ‘an hour away’ from resuming attacks on Iran
Meanwhile, Trump said on Tuesday that he has almost decided to resume military operations against Iran.
“I was an hour away from making the decision to go today,” Trump told reporters at the White House.
The president stressed that a new US attack could come this week or next if no deal is reached, but he did not give any concrete timeframe.
The United States had demanded that Iran give up its nuclear enrichment program and end its effective blockade of the vital Strait of Hormuz, a key route for global energy supplies.
Iran is demanding compensation for the war and an end to all hostilities, including US ally Israel’s offensive and bombing campaign in Lebanon.
Edited by: Rana Taha
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