An Iranian official said that President Trump should not be expecting a call to discuss the ongoing tension between the two countries, rejecting a suggestion from the president.
Heshmatollah Falahatpisheh, the head of Iran’s parliamentary commission for national security and foreign affairs, told lawmakers that he does not expect war to break out between the two nations and pushed back on Trump’s offer for Iranian leaders to call him and discuss de-escalating the situation.
“The Americans know that no other war will bring about their defeat to such an extent and that’s why there won’t be a war, because war is not part of the U.S. strategy,” Falahatpisheh said, according to the Islamic Students’ News Agency.
“Nobody is going to call Trump, and eventually the Americans will be forced to raise the issue of negotiations with Iran in a serious way,” he said.
The comments come amid an intense pressure campaign by the United States to squeeze Iran of its financial assets, which have been used to fund terror organizations throughout the Middle East. Trump announced new sweeping sanctions against Iran’s metals industry Wednesday, and said Thursday he wanted them to make a deal.
“What [Iran] should be doing is calling me up, sitting down, and we can make a deal. A fair deal. We just don’t want them to have nuclear weapons, it’s not too much to ask. And we would help put them back into great shape. They’re in bad shape right now. I look forward to the day when we can actually help Iran. We’re not looking to hurt Iran. I want them to be strong, and great, and have a great economy,” he said.
The Trump administration had previously announced that it would stop providing waivers to countries that import Iranian oil.
Additionally, the U.S. deployed the USS Abraham Lincoln Carrier Strike Group and a bomber task force to the Middle East in response to “troubling and escalatory indications and warnings” from Iran.
