Trump says Iran increasingly serious, US yet to decide on military aggression

President Donald Trump has said Iran is showing its strongest commitment yet in negotiations with the United States, but he has not decided whether to launch a large-scale military attack against the country. “We are in discussions with them right now. I think they are getting more serious as time goes by, maybe for obvious reasons. I think they are serious. I think they are far more serious than we have ever seen before, but that doesn’t mean we are going to get there. We’ll see what happens,” Trump told reporters in the Oval Office at the White House in Washington D.C. on Friday. Regarding the decision to launch a major attack on Iran, Trump replied that he had not yet considered it. “We could escalate to a much higher level if we wanted to, we are prepared to do it. We are battle-ready and ready to act. There are two ways. I think that is the smarter way, but the other might be the easier way,” Trump added, referring to diplomacy and military action. Meanwhile, on the involvement of Special Envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, his son-in-law and adviser, in talks with Iran, Trump said everyone, including Vice President J.D. Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio, is involved. “It’s a big deal. They cannot have nuclear weapons. Regardless of what everyone says about the elections, I am in no rush. We have to get it right,” Trump added, referring to the US midterm elections this autumn. Trump himself is not on the ballot for the November midterms. However, if the Democratic Party succeeds in capturing one or both chambers of Congress, it could complicate the Trump administration’s final two years in office. The US has launched a series of strikes in various Iranian territories since last week, in response to what it claims were Iranian attacks on commercial vessels in the Strait of Hormuz. Iran responded by attacking facilities and bases used by the US military in several countries in the region. The tit-for-tat attacks between the two countries continue even though the United States and Iran have signed a framework agreement. The deal, mediated by Pakistan last June, aims to end the war that has been ongoing since February and pave the way for a more permanent peace agreement.