"Iranian leaders do not care for their people," US President Donald Trump said Wednesday amid increasing US-Iran tensions.
"Iran should do the right thing for their people. The problem is I don't believe their leader...care for their people. If they do, they'll make a deal. If they don't, they're just thinking about themselves. And they're selfish and they're stupid if that's what they're doing," Trump told reporters on the South lawns of the White House.
Recent media reports said that Trump this week stopped his military generals from attacking Iran after an American drone was allegedly shot down by the Iranian forces.
While being tough on Iran, Trump has said he does not want a war with Iran and has said he has no precondition for talks with the Iranian regime.
When a reporter asked if the ball was now "in Iran's court", the US president said, "The ball's in no court. You know what? Iran can do whatever they want, it's just fine. I have plenty of time."
"But they have a country that's in economic distress, it's an economic disaster right now. They could solve it quickly or they can solve it in 10 years from now, whatever they want is fine with me... I have all the time in the world,” he said.
"...In the meantime, they have very strong sanctions, they have to live with those sanctions," said the US President.
The US has imposed stifling economic sanctions on Tehran to prevent it from acquiring nuclear weapons.
Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin, Vice Chairman of the Senate Appropriations Defense Subcommittee, warned the Trump Administration against another reckless war in the Middle East.
In a speech on the Senate floor, Durbin argued that the US Constitution is clear that the power to declare war is an explicit power of the Congress.
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