Trump says Iran has taken too long to negotiate, will ‘pay the price’
· The Straits Times- President Trump threatened Iran with new strikes on power plants and bridges, stating they took too long to negotiate and will now "pay the price."
- Qatari negotiators travelled to Tehran on June 10 (Reuters reported), aiming to finalise a deal to halt war, ease Strait of Hormuz tensions and discuss nuclear material.
- The US and Iran exchanged strikes on June 10; Iran retaliated against US bases in Jordan, Kuwait, and Bahrain following American strikes near the Strait of Hormuz.
WASHINGTON - US President Donald Trump on June 10 said Tehran has taken too long to negotiate a deal and would now “have to pay the price” after Iran and the United States exchanged strikes in the region amid reported efforts to continue talks.
“Iran is all talk and no action,” Trump wrote in a social media post.
“They’ve taken too long to negotiate a deal that would have been great for them, now they will have to pay the price!!!”
Trump, in a later interview with Fox News, said he was getting close to ordering new strikes targeting Iran’s power plants and bridges if Tehran is unwilling to sign an agreement.
The comments come as an official with knowledge of the situation told Reuters that Qatari negotiators travelled to Tehran on the morning of June 10 in an effort to finalise an agreement, after consultations with the United States.
In recent weeks, the Republican president has veered between public warnings and optimism that a deal was imminent. His latest remarks revived threats to attack Iranian infrastructure that international law experts said raised human rights concerns when they were first issued in March.
Asked about Iran’s latest strikes on June 10 against US military bases in Jordan, Kuwait and Bahrain in retaliation for American strikes on Iranian targets around the Strait of Hormuz, Trump told Fox that Iran had a chance to sign a deal and survive and that he may keep going with more strikes given the slow pace of negotiations, according to the network.
The talks have been focused on generating a framework to halt the war, ease tensions in the Strait of Hormuz and enable further negotiations over issues including Tehran’s nuclear material.
The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Trump’s post or the reported negotiators’ consultations and travel. REUTERS