President Donald Trump talks to reporters before he boards Air Force One at Palm Beach International Airport in West Palm Beach, Fla., May 2, en route Miami. AP-Yonhap
WASHINGTON — U.S. President Donald Trump raised the possibility Wednesday that a peace agreement with Iran could be reached before his trip to China next week, but he threatened to resume bombing if Tehran does not agree to a deal.
Trump made the remarks in a phone interview with PBS News, stressing that the U.S.-Israeli war against Iran has a "very good chance of ending," as he is set to have a high-stakes summit with Chinese President Xi Jinping in Beijing on May 14 and 15.
Axios reported earlier in the day that the U.S. thinks that it is getting close to an agreement with the Islamic Republic on a one-page memorandum of understanding to end the war and devise a framework for more detailed nuclear talks.
"It's possible, yeah," Trump said, responding to a question about whether he thinks negotiations will be concluded before he leaves for China.
He struck a sanguine note when asked whether the U.S. is closing in on a deal with Iran to end the war.
"Yeah, I think so, but I felt that way before with them, so we'll see what happens," he said. "I think we'll have a very good chance of making a deal again. If we don't, we'll go back to our old ways."
The president touched on what's being negotiated in talks with Iran.
Asked if a deal with Iran would include Tehran exporting its highly enriched uranium to the U.S., Trump said, "No, not perhaps. It goes to the United States."
He confirmed that as part of a deal with the U.S., Iran would pledge not to operate its underground nuclear facilities.
Source: Korea Times News
