Trump floats possible meeting with Iran's president, but doesn't rule out "wiping out the entire nation"

US President Donald Trump said he is considering a meeting with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York, while at the same time not ruling out a far harsher path for the conflict. Trump made the remarks in a Sunday interview with Fox News.

"My question is: when — or whether I should even bother to totally destroy this whole nation? It's time for them to start behaving properly," Fox News correspondent Trey Yingst quoted Trump as saying, following a Sunday conversation with the White House chief. According to Trump, he is currently in a "critical phase" of deciding on Iran.

Among the options reportedly on the table are the complete destruction of Iran, a strategy of letting the Iranian economy "rot," or striking a deal. Trump added that "some really big things are going to happen in the not-too-distant future."

A possible meeting at the UN

At the same time, the American president suggested he "would probably be open" to talks with Iranian leader Pezeshkian on the margins of the UN General Assembly. The Assembly's session runs from September 18 to 28 at the organization's headquarters in New York, with the main general debate scheduled for September 22–28. Tehran has not yet responded to Trump's comments about a possible meeting.

Six months of confrontation in the Middle East

The military conflict in the Middle East has now dragged on for more than half a year. It began in late February with joint US-Israeli strikes on Iran, which were said to be aimed at preventing the country from developing nuclear weapons. In response, Iran struck Israel, US bases and American allies in the region, and blocked the Strait of Hormuz — a key artery for global oil trade.

After several weeks of fighting, a truce was reached in April, and in June Washington and Tehran signed an agreement meant to pave the way for a broader settlement. However, within weeks the deal fell apart amid disagreements, including over the Strait of Hormuz and Iran's nuclear program, and by August the agreement had officially lapsed. Lower-intensity strikes between the two sides continue to this day, and in September the conflict entered its seventh month.

Source: novinky.cz