President Donald Trump said Wednesday that the U.S. is in the final stages of talks with Iran regarding a peace agreement [1].
The outcome of these negotiations determines whether the U.S. will ease economic sanctions or if the administration will proceed with further military strikes against Iranian targets [1, 2].
Speaking during a White House press briefing in Washington, D.C., Trump said the administration is waiting to see if Tehran accepts the latest cease-fire proposal [1, 2]. He said that he is not in a hurry to make a deal [3].
Trump said he is willing to wait two days [1] to see if Tehran responds before the U.S. lifts any sanctions. However, reports from the Financial Express suggest military action could occur soon, indicating a potentially shorter window for diplomacy than the two-day period mentioned by the president [4].
"We are in final stages of talks with Iran; we’ll see what happens," Trump said [2].
The president maintained a position of readiness for further strikes if the diplomatic path fails. This approach balances the threat of force with a window for a negotiated settlement [1, 2].
"I’m willing to wait a couple of days to see if Tehran responds before we lift any sanctions," Trump said [1].
“"We are in final stages of talks with Iran; we’ll see what happens."”
The administration is employing a 'maximum pressure' strategy by pairing a concrete diplomatic off-ramp with the immediate threat of military escalation. By setting a short, vague timeline for a response, the U.S. aims to force a quick decision from Tehran while maintaining the flexibility to pivot back to kinetic operations if the cease-fire proposal is rejected.
