President Trump said Tuesday he might have to wallop Iran with “another big hit,” but he is waiting a short while for negotiations to play out.
Mr. Trump indicated his willingness to resume military strikes while complaining about Democrats who want to restrain his war powers.
“You’re winning every point. But in Washington, they want to stop you from negotiating,” Mr. Trump said while touring the construction of his White House ballroom. “They want to stop you, and it’s only political. It’s the Democrats. They’re dumb.”
Mr. Trump launched his war against Iran to stop Iran from getting a nuclear weapon. He paused fighting as part of an early April ceasefire, but he is running out of patience with negotiations, saying Iran has not satisfied his demands.
“We may have to give them another big hit, I’m not sure yet. You’ll know very soon,” Mr. Trump said.
Mr. Trump on Monday canceled planned military strikes on Iran after Arab allies in Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates asked him to hold off because negotiations showed progress.
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“I was an hour away,” Mr. Trump said Tuesday. “It would have been happening right now. … We would not be talking about a beautiful ballroom today. We would be talking about that.”
Some national security hawks are urging Mr. Trump to strike Iran, saying it would put the U.S. in a stronger negotiating position.
For now, Mr. Trump is imposing a blockade of maritime ports to squeeze Iran economically and force it to negotiate on his terms.
Democrats and other critics say he launched a “war of choice” that resulted in higher prices for Americans, as Iran clamps down on oil traffic in the Strait of Hormuz.
The U.S. average price of a gallon of gas stood at $4.53 on Tuesday, a 52% increase from when the war started, according to the AAA motor club.
Mr. Trump shrugged off signs that the war is polling relatively poorly, or that he needs to explain his goals.
“I think it’s frankly very popular,” the president said. “Whether it’s popular or not popular, I have to do it. I’m not going to allow the world to be blown up on my watch.”
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