Trump: I Decided to Suspend Strikes in Iran to Give Negotiations a Chance

SadaNews - U.S. President Donald Trump said on Monday evening that he decided to suspend airstrikes against Iran to give negotiations another chance.

Trump emphasized in a phone interview with Axios that if diplomacy fails, he may order a resumption and expansion of military operations.

He added, "We are having very in-depth talks with Iran, and if these talks do not yield results, we will return to strong military action."

When asked how long he would like to dedicate to the diplomatic path, he replied: "I don’t have a lot of time... either the path progresses quickly or it doesn't progress at all."

He pointed out that he decided to suspend strikes on Friday because the mediating countries asked him to give negotiations another chance. He said, "Everyone connected to Iran asked me: don’t fire," asserting his belief that Iran is interested in reaching an agreement.

When asked why he agreed to the mediators' request, he said: "We gained nothing and lost nothing."