President Donald Trump stated Monday that Iranian officials have not informed him they are halting discussions with Washington, though he indicated he would be comfortable with a pause in communications and is prepared to wait indefinitely.
“I think we’ve been talking too much if you want to know the truth. I think going silent would be very good, and that could be for a long time,” Trump said in an interview with NBC News.
“It doesn’t mean we’re going to go and start dropping bombs all over there,” Trump was quoted as saying. “We’ll just go silent. We’ll keep the blockade.”
“I think I can wait as long as they want. They’re losing a fortune.”
Earlier reports from Iranian state news agency Tasnim indicated that Iran was pausing indirect discussions with the United States following Israel’s directive for its military forces to advance further into Lebanon, which has complicated diplomatic efforts to resolve three months of ongoing conflict.
While Trump characterized the Iranians as superior negotiators compared to combatants, he emphasized that he had received no official notification regarding any suspension of diplomatic talks.
