A day after US President Trump stated that he would “certainly negotiate” with Iran if they contacted him, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said that the current situation “is not suitable for talks and our choice is resistance only.” Trump’s claim that he is open to talks followed a Sunday Tweet in which the president warned that if Iran wants to start a conflict with his country, “that will be the official end of Iran.”
Some experts fear that the seemingly inconsistent messages issued by Trump expose the absence of a clear US strategy on Iran, which may lead the country into an avoidable conflict. On Monday, Iran’s director of foreign affairs for the parliament, Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, told CNN that “Trump is not quite balanced and stable in his decision making, so we are dealing with a confused White House. Iran receives various signals which show that no one knows who owns the White House.” Amir-Abdollahian also called Trump “a crazy president.”
Tensions between the US and Iran have risen dramatically in recent weeks after the US imposed new sanctions on Iran. The deteriorating situation is fueling global worries about a possible military conflict between the two countries.
Read more: Iranian president: ‘Today’s situation is not suitable for talks’ with US
