Trump says he is close to closing a deal with Iran to end the war
"We're going to make (the deal) great. The other option would be to just go back and resolve it militarily," said the president.
President Donald Trump said in an interview with Fox News on Saturday that he is close to reaching an agreement with Iran to end the war that began on February 28, when the US and Israel started bombing the Middle Eastern country.
The other alternative, according to Trump, would be to resume military actions against Iran.
"We're going to make (the deal) great. The other option would be to just go back and resolve it militarily. But the deal would be faster. Probably, it's better from a human standpoint," Trump told politician Lara Trump, who conducted the interview.
Trump said the condition for closing the deal is the guarantee that Iran will not have any nuclear weapons. According to the American president, Iran accepted the proposal.
"They initially said they would not develop nuclear weapons. I said: 'But what if you buy them?' Now they claim they will not develop the weaponry or buy it under any circumstances. That's a big difference."
The US president also said the agreement will allow the immediate reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, one of the main global oil routes, whose closure of ship traffic is negatively impacting the economy worldwide.
But Trump said he is in no hurry. And that negotiations are very tough. "I'd like to say I'm in a hurry because the deal would make gasoline prices plummet. But if we're in a hurry, we won't get a good deal," said Trump, who added in a threatening tone: "We're getting what we want. And if we don't, we'll finish it in a different way."
US attacks cargo ship that was to dock at port in Iran
Also on Saturday, the US Central Command reported that the US Armed Forces prevented a merchant ship from breaking the blockade of Iranian ports by firing a missile at the vessel's engine room.
According to US Central Command, the cargo ship Lian Star, flying the flag of Gambia, ignored more than 20 warnings from US forces during the night as it attempted to enter an Iranian port.
With the action, the US armed forces prevented six ships from breaking the blockade. One was allowed to proceed. Another 116 ships were redirected, according to the US armed forces.
The US launched the blockade of Iran's ports on April 17, in response to the closure of the Strait of Hormuz by the Persian country. A fragile ceasefire has been in place since April 7, while negotiations are underway on the possibility of extending it for another 60 days, during which the parties involved in the war would decide on Iran's controversial nuclear program.
