President Donald Trump said he is in no hurry to strike a peace deal after Iran reportedly suspended indirect talks over Israel‘s latest strikes in Lebanon.“I think we’ve been talking too much, if you want to know the truth,” Trump told NBC News on Monday. “I think going silent would be very good, and that could be, that could be for a long time.”The president’s comments come after Iranian state media described Israel’s strikes as a violation of the fragile ceasefire with the United States and suggested that Tehran may expand the conflict to “other fronts.”
Trump added that Iran has not yet communicated it is ending peace talks, but suggested he was happy to keep the status quo, including a blockade of Iranian ports, in place. Tasnim, the Iranian regime-aligned news outlet, also reported Iran could close the Bab el Mandeb Strait in response to Israel’s actions.
“We’ll just go silent,” Trump said on Monday. “We’ll keep the blockade. Blockade is a piece of steel.”
The U.S. has imposed a blockade of Iranian ports since April after Iran closed the Strait of Hormuz, and though the two sides have overseen a delicate truce since April, there continues to be sporadic conflict.
Trump reiterated that his comments did not mean the U.S. would “start dropping bombs all over there,” despite strikes overnight against air defenses and a ground control station near the city of Geruk and on Qeshm Island.
