KABUL (Pajhwok): US President Donald Trump says the military conflict with Iran is “effectively over” and has called for maintaining the current situation.
However, Mohsen Rezaei, secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, has rejected his remarks and described Washington’s claims about negotiations as “fake news”.
Trump made the remarks on Monday after meeting Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani in Washington, Al Jazeera reported.
“Iran militarily is effectively over,” he said. “We’re just keeping it the status quo, and we’re doing that really at the behest of countries that are their neighbours.”
He added that the US would continue its naval blockade of Iranian ports.
Trump said Qatar, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Bahrain, Kuwait and some other countries wanted the current situation to be maintained.
He also stressed that military action did not appear necessary at present, but US forces were prepared for any possible developments.
Meanwhile, Mohsen Rezaei, secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, rejected Trump’s remarks and described US claims about negotiations as “fake news”.
Separately, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said the country’s Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei had called for an end to the situation, which he described as “neither war nor peace”.
Pezeshkian added that Iran was open to further negotiations but would not be coerced, according to Iranian media. “We will not surrender to force and bullying,” he said.
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