Trump says US team in contact with Iran, offers no sign of progress to end war

• Donald Trump says US team has been in contact with Iran, but provides no details on who was involved, how the contact occurred or what was discussed

• Trump says there has been no progress towards ending the war, predicting the confrontation will conclude quickly “one way or the other” without offering a timeline

• Trump rules out Iran acquiring a nuclear weapon and suggests fuel prices and inflation will fall once the conflict ends, while declining to elaborate on possible Iranian links to five suspects arrested in Britain

US President Donald Trump said on Monday that members of his team had been in contact with Iran, but gave no indication of progress towards ending the war, saying the confrontation would conclude quickly “one way or the other”.

Asked at the White House whether his team had spoken to Iran, Trump replied, “Yeah, they have.” When a reporter followed up by asking about mediators, he again said, “Yeah.”

Trump did not identify those involved in the contact, explain how it had taken place or disclose what was discussed. His remarks confirmed, by his account, that contact with Iran had taken place on Monday, but did not establish that US and Iranian officials had held direct talks or reached any new understanding.

Pressed on whether there had been any movement towards a resolution, Trump said: “No, we're going to win. As far as I'm concerned, it's going to be one way or the other. It's going to go pretty quickly.”

He offered no timetable or terms for a possible agreement.

Trump also linked the course of the conflict with energy prices, saying US fuel prices would fall sharply once the war ended. Asked whether drivers and truckers should expect higher prices in the coming weeks, he did not provide a specific forecast.

“Gas is going to go way down,” Trump said, adding that inflation would disappear once the conflict was over. He did not give an estimate for how much prices could change or when he expected hostilities to end.

Turning to Iran's nuclear programme, Trump reiterated his position that Tehran would not be allowed to acquire a nuclear weapon.

“Iran will never have a nuclear weapon,” he said.

Trump was also asked about five suspects whom a reporter said had been arrested in Britain and released on bail, and whether they could have links to Iran. Trump said an Iranian connection “might be” possible but declined to elaborate when pressed.

“I'd rather not,” he said.

Trump made the remarks during a White House event on a proposed steel investment in Iowa, as the administration continued to signal that contact with Tehran was taking place while providing few details about the nature or outcome of those communications.

With IANS inputs