WASHINGTON: US President Donald Trump is giving negotiations with Iran “some space,” his UN ambassador said on Sunday, after two nights passed without strikes on the country.
UN ambassador Mike Waltz told “Fox News Sunday” that the United States remained “locked and loaded” for more attacks and that “more assets have gone into the region,” but that Trump is “giving talks some space – he’s giving it a little bit of room.”
Prior to Friday, the US military had announced strikes on Iran for 13 consecutive nights, in the largest rekindling of the war since an April ceasefire.
Earlier, Iranian army warned that the Middle East war would widen if the United States chose to press ahead with attacks on the Islamic republic, ahead of the visit of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to Washington.
“I believe that if the Americans once again fall for the Zionists’ deception, or move in line with them, and insist on continuing the war, particularly through air strikes, geographically this will expand further,” army spokesman Mohammad Akraminia told state television.
He said the war had already expanded to the Bab al Mandab Strait at the entrance of the Red Sea, referencing the recent military flare-up between Yemen’s Ansar Allah and Saudi Arabia.
“The scope of our operations now encompasses the entire region, from US bases in Jordan to the countries along the Gulf,” he said.
Akraminia said the situation in the Middle East for the United States is “difficult and unsettled,” predicting that Washington was now looking “for a new strategy.”
“We are prepared for each of the options and scenarios that appear likely,” he added.
On Friday, Israel said Netanyahu will meet US President Donald Trump at the White House on Tuesday.
