After ‘Muzzling Out’ Trump Now Wants a Nuclear Deal With Iran

President Donald Trump said Friday that “interesting days” lie ahead for the US and Iran as he seeks to either negotiate a new nuclear deal with Tehran, or pursue “the other option,” a likely allusion to military action.

Trump told reporters in the Oval Office that the “next thing you’ll be talking about is Iran,” vowing “there’ll be some interesting days ahead.” 

The comments came just hours after Trump said in an interview with Fox Business Network that he sent a letter to Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei urging nuclear talks according to Anadolu.

“We’re down to final strokes with Iran. That’s going to be an interesting time, and we’ll see what happens. But we’re down to the final moments. Final moments. Can’t let them have a nuclear weapon,” Trump said in the Oval Office.

“We have a situation with Iran, that something’s going to happen very soon, very, very soon, you’ll be talking about that pretty soon, I guess, and hopefully we can have a peace deal. I’m not speaking out of strength or weakness. I’m just saying I’d rather see a peace deal than the other, but the other will solve the problem,” he added.

Iran’s Permanent Mission to the UN in New York responded to a question about Trump’s statement that he sent a letter to Khamenei, saying they have not received such a letter so far, according to Iranian media reports.

Khamenei had earlier banned negotiations with the Trump administration, which he described as “untrustworthy.”

Senior Iranian officials, including President Masoud Pezeshkian and Foreign Minister Abbas Aragchi, have frequently said they will not negotiate with the US under pressure and threats.

“As long as the US policy of maximum pressure and threats continues, we will not enter into direct negotiations with the US,” Aragchi said in an interview in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia on Friday.

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Houthis Give Israel Four Days to Allow Aid Into Gaza

The Houthis are ready to restart their naval military operations in the Red Sea against ships bound for Israel. The leader of the movement Abdul-Malik al-Houthi, said Israel is evading its obligations regarding the humanitarian file, and that Hamas has been keen to fully fulfill its obligations the ongoing ceasefire on Gaza.

“We announce to the whole world that we will give a four-day grace period, this is a grace period for the mediators in their efforts,” he said in a speech broadcast by the Houthi-affiliated Al-Masirah Channel.

“If the Israeli enemy continues after the first four days to prevent the entry of aid into the Gaza Strip and continues to close the crossings and prevent the entry of food and medicine into the Gaza Strip, we will resume our naval operations against the Israeli enemy and meet the siege with a siege,” Abdul-Malik Al Houthi pointed out.

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Jerusalem: 90,000 Perform Prayers Despite Israeli Restrictions

Despite strict Israeli restrictions, approximately 90,000 Palestinian worshipers gathered for the first Friday prayers of Ramadan at the Al-Aqsa Mosque in the occupied East Jerusalem.

“Around 90,000 worshipers attended Friday prayers at Al-Aqsa Mosque,” Sheikh Azzam al-Khatib, director-general of the Islamic Waqf in Jerusalem, told Anadolu.

Israeli police forces were heavily deployed around the mosque and throughout the Old City of Jerusalem to restrict the entry of worshipers.

On Thursday, Israeli police announced that 3,000 officers would be stationed across East Jerusalem on Friday.

Israeli authorities also imposed severe restrictions on worshipers from the occupied West Bank attempting to reach Jerusalem.

Eyewitnesses told Anadolu that the Israeli army prevented tens of thousands of Palestinians from crossing military checkpoints surrounding Jerusalem to reach Al-Aqsa.

On Thursday, the Israeli Prime Minister’s Office announced that only men over 55, women over 50, and children under 12 would be allowed to enter the mosque. Worshipers were also required to obtain prior security clearance and undergo extensive checks at designated crossings.

Despite these measures, Palestinians from Jerusalem and Arab towns inside Israel made their way to the mosque. Volunteer groups, including Al-Aqsa guards, scouts, and security teams, assisted worshipers.

During the sermon, Muhammad Salim Muhammad Ali, the Friday preacher of Al-Aqsa Mosque, praised worshipers for their determination to reach the mosque despite Israeli restrictions and urged further efforts to protect and frequent the holy site.

At the end of the prayers, worshipers held absentee funeral prayers for the souls of Palestinians killed by Israeli forces in Gaza and the occupied West Bank.

Since the outbreak of the war on Gaza on Oct. 7, 2023, Israeli authorities have imposed strict measures limiting Palestinians’ access from the West Bank to East Jerusalem.

Palestinians consider these restrictions as part of Israel’s broader efforts to Judaize East Jerusalem, including the Al-Aqsa Mosque, and erase its Arab and Islamic identity according to Anadolu.

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