Iranian officials want to make a peace deal, but are afraid to say so for fear of being killed.
This was said by US President Donald Trump, according to the AFP news agency, on Wednesday during an annual dinner for Republican members of Congress.
- By the way, they are in the negotiations, and they would like to make a deal. But they are afraid to say it because they think their own people will kill them.
- They are also afraid that we will kill them, Trump said.
The president also repeated his claim that Iran is being severely decimated in the conflict that began on February 28, writes AFP.
During the dinner, Trump also lashed out at his political opponents in the US, saying that Democrats are trying to "distract attention from all the tremendous success that we are having from this military operation".
He mocked Democrats' demands that he obtain congressional approval for the conflict.
- They don't like the word "war" because you have to get approval (to wage war, ed.), so I will use the word "military operation" instead, Trump said, according to AFP.
Trump's statement comes after Iran's Foreign Minister, Abbas Araqchi, said on Wednesday that "we have no intention of negotiating".
- Right now our policy is to continue the resistance, he said, according to AFP on Iranian state television.
- Talking about negotiations now is the same as accepting defeat, it was said.
Araqchi said this after reports that the US had sent a 15-point peace plan to Iran via Pakistan.
However, on Thursday night Danish time, Araqchi said that Iran was looking into an American proposal for an end to the war. This is reported by Reuters.
However, the fact that Iran is communicating with the US through mediators "does not mean that we are negotiating with the US", Araqchi said on Iranian state television.
- They have put forward ideas in their messages that have been handed over to the highest authorities, and if necessary, a position will be announced from their side, he said.
/ritzau/
