Trump says US may attack Iran again but that Tehran wants deal

-- Says a new ‌US ⁠attack will happen in the coming days if a deal is not reached

WASHINGTON: United States President Donald Trump said on ​Tuesday that the US may need to hit Iran again and he was only an ​hour away from deciding ​on a strike before he postponed ⁠the attack.

"I was an hour ​away from making the decision ​to go today," Trump told reporters at the White House.

Trump said ​Iran's leaders are begging ​to make a deal, but a new ‌US ⁠attack would happen in the coming days if a deal is not reached.

"Well, I ​mean, I'm ​saying ⁠two or three days, maybe Friday, Saturday, Sunday, ​something, maybe early next ​week, ⁠a limited period of time, because we can't let them ⁠have ​a new nuclear ​weapon."

Meanwhile, Iran's army warned it would "open new fronts" against the US if it resumed attacks, after Trump said he had held off launching a new offensive in hopes of striking a deal.

"If the enemy is foolish enough to fall into the Zionist trap again and launches new aggression against our beloved Iran, we will open new fronts against it, with new equipment and new methods," said army spokesman Mohammad Akraminia, according to Iran's ISNA news agency.

Iran says peace proposal includes reparations for war damage, US troop withdrawal

Tehran's latest peace proposal to the United States involves ending hostilities on all fronts, including Lebanon, the exit of US forces from areas close to Iran, and reparations for destruction caused by the US-Israeli war, the state news agency IRNA reported on Tuesday.

Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs for Legal and International Affairs, Kazem Gharibabadi’s report emphasised Iran’s “right to enrich and enjoy peaceful nuclear rights”, the state-run news agency said.

The report discussed “ending the war on all fronts, including Lebanon, lifting the US naval blockade, releasing Iran’s property and assets, providing for the damages caused by the war imposed by the US for reconstruction, ending all unilateral sanctions and Security Council resolutions, and withdrawing US forces from the Islamic Republic’s periphery”, according to IRNA.

Qatar says US-Iran negotiations need 'more time'

Qatar said on Tuesday that US-Iran negotiations, mediated by Pakistan, require more time to reach a deal, a day after Trump said he had postponed attacks to give the process a chance.

"We are supportive of the diplomatic effort by Pakistan that has shown seriousness in bringing parties together and finding a solution, and we do believe it needs more time," Qatari foreign ministry spokesman Majed al-Ansari said at a press conference.

Iran says new US aggression will result in 'stronger response'

Spokesperson for the Iranian Parliament's National Security Commission Ebrahim Rezaei stated on Tuesday that "any new aggression against Iran will be met with a stronger response and will make Trump even more ashamed," according to an X post by Iranian state broadcaster IRIB.

"The Americans must either surrender to diplomacy and our conditions, or surrender to the power of our missiles."

In a separate statement carried by IRIB, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei stated that Iran's right to nuclear enrichment is "non-negotiable."

"Enrichment is Iran's right. Others' remarks on this matter do not matter!"

US cost of war exceeds $85 billion: Iranian Fars news

Iran's Fars news agency reported on Tuesday that the website "Iran War Cost Tracker" estimated, after 80 days, the cost of the Iran war as well as the presence of American equipment and forces in the region to be over 85 billion and 396 million dollars.

UN wants ‘no constraint’ on Strait of Hormuz access in light of new Iranian authority

Responding to a question on Iran creating the Persian Gulf Strait Authority to administer shipping in the Strait of Hormuz, UN spokesperson Farhan Haq has said it does not “want any particular entity to restrict … freedom of access” to the strategic waterway, Al Jazeera reported.

“Ultimately, for us, we want to make sure that there’s no constraint to freedom of navigation on the high seas and on the Strait of Hormuz,” Haq said.