Trump Claims 'In-Depth Negotiations' with Iran, Nearing Direct Talks

On April 5, Axios reported that U.S. President Trump stated in a phone interview that the U.S. is engaged in ‘in-depth negotiations’ with Iran, with hopes of reaching an agreement before Tuesday’s deadline. ‘The chances of reaching an agreement are high, but if they don’t, I will destroy everything there,’ he said. When asked if he was concerned about harming innocent civilians, Trump expressed that he believes the Iranian people opposing their government would support such strikes to weaken the regime. In an approximately eight-minute phone interview, Trump mentioned that his envoys, Wietekow and Kushner, are in intensive negotiations with Iran. Two sources involved in the talks indicated that communication is taking place both through intermediaries in Pakistan, Egypt, and Turkey, as well as via text exchanges between Trump’s advisors and Iranian Foreign Minister Zarif. ‘The negotiations are progressing well, but dealing with the Iranians is always difficult to reach a conclusion,’ Trump said. He also noted that just a few days ago, both sides were close to agreeing to hold direct talks. ‘But they said to meet again in five days. I asked, why five days? I feel they are not serious enough. So I attacked that bridge,’ Trump stated. (Jinshi)