Iran talks taking longer than expected: Trump
Washington, May 20
US President Donald Trump said Wednesday that negotiations with Iran were taking longer than expected and suggested that he could pursue tougher options if diplomacy fails.
Trump told reporters at the White House that he would prefer a limited level of violence over a wider conflict in the region.
"Ideally, I'd like to see a few people kill as opposed to a lot," Trump said when asked about a possible Iran arrangement linked to the Strait of Hormuz. "We do it another way, but I'd like to see a few."
Trump indicated there was rising public frustration inside Iran because of worsening living conditions.
"There's a lot of anger now in Iran, cause people are living so badly," he said. "There's a lot of foment that we haven't seen so much."
Asked if negotiations had taken longer than expected, Trump compared the current situation with long US military engagements abroad.
"You were in Afghanistan, these other places, 10 years," he said. "You were in Iraq. How long were you in Iraq?... You were in Korea for seven years."
He argued that recent US military operations had resulted in fewer American casualties than previous wars.
"In other wars, you lost hundreds of thousands of people," Trump said. "Here we lost 13 people. Now, 13 people were too much?
Trump also claimed the US had achieved major strategic gains without prolonged military occupations.
"We essentially took over Iran," he said, without elaborating further.
— IANS
Reader Comments
"I'd like to see a few people kill as opposed to a lot" - what kind of logic is this? Even one life lost is too many. India has always advocated for dialogue and peace. The US needs to learn from its own mistakes in Afghanistan and Iraq. War is never the answer, bhai. 😔
As an Indian watching this, I feel the US is playing with fire. Iran is not Iraq or Afghanistan - they have a strong military and regional allies like Russia and China. If Trump thinks he can "take over Iran" easily, he's sorely mistaken. We should urge restraint and support multilateral talks under the UN.
Trump's casual attitude towards human lives is shocking. "A few people kill" - really? The Indian government should use its good offices with both Washington and Tehran to de-escalate. We have too many citizens working across the Gulf to risk a war. Diplomacy takes time, let it work. 🙏
I find Trump's comparison with Afghanistan and Iraq misleading. Those were long, costly wars with no clear victory. Why repeat the same mistakes? India has always believed in "Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam" - the world is one family. We should push for peaceful resolution through the P5+1 framework, not unilateral US action.
We welcome thoughtful discussions from our readers. Please keep comments respectful and on-topic.