Trump says US may support Israel-Iran ceasefire depending on circumstances
US President Donald Trump said Friday he may consider backing a ceasefire in the escalating Israel-Iran conflict, noting that any decision would 'depend on the circumstances.'Speaking to reporters, Trump acknowledged ongoing negotiations and left open the possibility of US support for a pause in hostilities.'I might, depending on the circumstances,' Trump said when asked if he would support a ceasefire in the week-old air war between the two Middle Eastern rivals.advertisement
"Iran doesn't want to speak to Europe. They want to speak to us. Europe is not going to be able to help in this one," Trump said.Trump comments came as Iranian foreign minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian met with European counterparts in Geneva on Friday for talks aimed at establishing a path back to diplomacy over Iran's nuclear programme. European foreign ministers urged Iran to engage with Washington over its nuclear programme, but the talks ended with few signs of progress.Trump also ruled out committing US ground forces in any potential intervention."Well, I'm not going to talk about ground forces, because the last thing you want to do is ground forces," Trump said, when asked if ground forces would be needed to defeat Iran.As speculation grows over Washington's next move, Trump said that he will decide in the next two weeks whether the US will get involved in the Israel-Iran war. advertisementIsrael is the only country in the Middle East widely believed to have nuclear weapons, and said it struck Iran to prevent Tehran from developing its own nuclear weapons.Iran, which says its nuclear programme is peaceful, has retaliated with its own strikes on Israel. Iran is a party to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, while Israel is not.With inputs from ReutersMust Watch
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