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In response to a reporter\u2019s question on whether the U.S. could take limited military action as\u00a0the countries negotiate, Trump said, \u201cI guess I can say I am considering that.\u201d A few hours later, he told reporters that Iran \u201cbetter negotiate a fair deal.\u201d<\/p>\n
Earlier Friday, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said in a TV interview that his country was planning to finalize a draft deal in \u201cthe next two to three days\u201d to send to Washington.<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t think it takes long, perhaps, in a matter of a week or so, we can start real, serious negotiations on the text and come to a conclusion,\u201d Araghchi said on MSNOW\u2019s \u201cMorning Joe\u201d show.<\/p>\n
The tensions between the longtime adversaries have ramped up as the Trump administration pushes for concessions from Iran and has built up the largest\u00a0U.S. military presence in the Middle East\u00a0in decades, with more warships and aircraft on the way.<\/p>\n
On Friday, the USS Gerald R. Ford carrier strike group passed through the Strait of Gibraltar and entered the Mediterranean Sea after being sent by Trump from the Caribbean, according to images of the ship by maritime photographers posted to social media.<\/p>\n
Both Iran and the U.S. have signaled that they are prepared for war if talks on Tehran\u2019s nuclear program fizzle out. \u201cWe are prepared for diplomacy, and we are prepared for negotiation as much as we are prepared for war,\u201d Araghchi said Friday.<\/p>\n
Ali Vaez, an Iran expert at the International Crisis Group, said Iran \u201cwould treat any kinetic action as an existential threat.\u201d<\/p>\n
Vaez said he doesn\u2019t think Iran\u2019s leaders are bluffing when they say they would retaliate, while they likely believe they could maintain their hold on power despite any U.S. airstrikes.<\/p>\n
Trump said a day earlier that he believes 10 to 15 days is \u201cenough time\u201d for Iran to reach a deal following\u00a0recent rounds of indirect negotiations, including this week in Geneva, that made little visible progress. But the talks have been deadlocked for years after Trump\u2019s\u00a0decision in 2018\u00a0to unilaterally withdraw the U.S. from Iran\u2019s 2015\u00a0nuclear deal with world powers. Since then, Iran has refused to discuss wider U.S. and Israeli demands that it scale back its missile program and sever ties to armed groups.<\/p>\n
Araghchi also said Friday that his American counterparts have not asked for zero\u00a0enrichment of uranium\u00a0as part of the latest round of talks, which is not what U.S. officials have said publicly.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat we are now talking about is how to make sure that Iran\u2019s nuclear program, including enrichment, is peaceful and will remain peaceful forever,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
He added that in return, Iran will implement some confidence-building measures in exchange for relief on\u00a0economic sanctions.<\/p>\n
In response to Araghchi\u2019s claim, a White House official said Trump has been clear that Iran cannot have nuclear weapons or the capacity to build them and that it cannot enrich uranium. The official wasn\u2019t authorized to comment publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity.<\/p>\n
Tehran has long insisted that any negotiations should only focus on its nuclear program and that it hasn\u2019t been enriching uranium since U.S. and Israeli\u00a0strikes last June on Iranian nuclear sites. Trump said at the time that the strikes had \u201cobliterated\u201d Iran\u2019s nuclear sites, but the exact damage is unknown as\u00a0Tehran has barred international inspectors.<\/p>\n
Although Iran insists its nuclear program is peaceful, the U.S. and others suspect it is aimed at eventually developing weapons.<\/p>\n
Trump\u2019s comments have faced pushback from some lawmakers who say the president should get Congress\u2019 approval before any strike.<\/p>\n
Democratic Sen. Tim Kaine of Virginia said Friday that he has filed a war powers resolution that would require that step. Though it has no chance of becoming law \u2014 in part because Trump himself would have to sign it \u2014 some bipartisan consensus has arisen recently among senators who forced votes on previous resolutions on military action in Venezuela.<\/p>\n
None of those resolutions passed, but they were successful in showing how lawmakers are troubled by some of Trump\u2019s aggressive foreign policy maneuvers.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf some of my colleagues support war, then they should have the guts to vote for the war, and to be held accountable by their constituents, rather than hiding under their desks,\u201d Kaine said in a statement.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
#Trump #warns #hes #limited #strikes #Iran #Tehran #negotiate #fair #deal<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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