President Trump said Wednesday he will not be rushed into a bad deal with Iran simply because it’s an election year.
He underscored that other foreign wars lasted much longer than the Iran conflict, which started three months ago.
“I’m in no hurry. You know, everyone is saying, ’Oh, the midterms.’ I’m in no hurry,” Mr. Trump said as he departed Washington to give a commencement address at the U.S. Coast Guard Academy in Connecticut.
Mr. Trump brushed off critics who want him to hurry up, days after he told the Iranians the “clock is ticking” and they need to make a deal that prevents the Islamic republic from getting a nuclear weapon.
The president said he could resume military strikes by this weekend if he doesn’t see a breakthrough.
“Ideally, I’d like to see few people killed as opposed to a lot,” he said.
The U.S. and Iran entered a ceasefire in early April. Still, there have been skirmishes in the Strait of Hormuz, a vital waterway for oil traffic, and the United Arab Emirates accused Iran of striking its assets.
Mr. Trump castigated Iranian leaders for failing to keep the “good of the people” in mind as he squeezes the country, economically, with a maritime blockade.
“There’s a lot of foment that we haven’t seen before so much, and we’ll see what happens,” he said.
Senate Democrats and four Republicans voted Tuesday to advance a resolution that would end the U.S. war with Iran.
The 50-47 procedural vote discharges a Democrat-led war powers resolution to terminate the hostilities, absent approval from the full Congress. This lets the measure skip committee consideration and get an up-or-down vote on the floor.
Mr. Trump says Congress should not interfere with his effort to keep Tehran from gaining a nuclear weapon and that his war aims will be worth the economic pressure that some Americans are feeling from the war.
The U.S. average price for a gallon of gas stood at nearly $4.56 on Wednesday, up 53% from when the war started, according to the AAA motor club.
The average price in all 50 states is over $4 per gallon.
• Lindsey McPherson contributed to this story.
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