US President Donald Trump has said the war with Iran could end soon, expressing confidence that the conflict will come to an end, although he gave no specific details on how an agreement would be reached.
In an interview with Kansas City’s KCMO radio, Trump said Washington is seeking a guarantee that Tehran will never possess nuclear weapons. “It will be over soon. We need a guarantee that there will never be a nuclear weapon”, the US president said. His statement comes on the eve of the US congressional midterm elections, scheduled for November 3. Trump also said the United States would not attack Iran before the elections.
Meanwhile, diplomatic efforts to end the conflict continue. Mediators from Qatar returned to Tehran on Monday as part of negotiations to reach an agreement between the United States and Iran. The news was confirmed to Reuters by an official briefed on the talks. The negotiations are being conducted in coordination with Washington. According to an official involved in the process, Qatar handed Iran a draft peace agreement on Saturday.
However, a senior Iranian official has described the proposals as unacceptable, stressing that Tehran has not changed its position on its nuclear program. For Washington, the nuclear program issue must be part of the negotiations from the initial stage. Iran, on the other hand, demands that the US first lift the blockade of Iranian ports and the sanctions restricting the country’s oil exports. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said on Wednesday that Tehran is maintaining close contacts with the mediators to consider proposals that could guarantee the implementation of its plan to end the war in the Middle East.
Meanwhile, on Thursday Trump also referred to the approach of Vice President J.D. Vance toward Iran, linking it to medical supplies. The statement came after reports in US media that Vance had been involved in efforts to revive the peace negotiations.