US President Donald Trump has said that he is in “deciding mode” on Iran and that “very big things” are coming, outlining several options toward Tehran, including further military action, continued economic pressure or negotiations.
The US president told Fox News that Iran had “better behave” but said he could meet Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian in New York.
Trump said there the choices on the table for Iran included wiping them out, letting them rot economically, or making a deal. The president said: “My question is, if and when do I blow the entire nation up? They better behave.”
When asked about the UN General Assembly's high-level week, which begins on Monday, President Trump hinted at a willingness to engage diplomatically, saying he was "probably open" to meeting with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian.
Neither Tehran nor Pezeshkian immediately responded to Trump's remarks about the potential meeting.
Pezeshkian is attending the UN General Assembly in New York this week and Trump was asked about meeting his Iranian counterpart, replying he would “probably be open” to it.
The US and Iran are locked in a tense standoff nearly seven months after Washington and Israel launched attacks on Tehran.
Iran’s top negotiator, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, said on Sunday that Tehran had conveyed to Washington through mediators its conditions for reopening the strategic Strait of Hormuz, which it has attempted to blockade throughout the Middle East war.
US military officials said on Saturday that oil, gas and cargo shipments out of the Gulf through the strait had in the last two weeks reached their highest levels in six months.
President Trump recently claimed the conflict with Iran would "end after the midterm elections" in November.