Trump Says Iran Peace Deal Could Take Time as End-of-War Talks Drag On

President Donald Trump said a peace agreement with Iran could take time, keeping up pressure on Tehran by arguing that while it is resisting, it ultimately has few options.

Trump told NBC in an interview aired June 5 that Iran is strong and proud, but now faces a situation in which it must do things it never thought it would have to do. Tehran has no choice, he said, and reaching a deal will take some time.

The US and Iran agreed to a ceasefire in April and have since been negotiating a draft framework for a formal end to the war. A final agreement acceptable to both sides has yet to emerge.

Trump has repeatedly said the war is nearing an end. Speaking to reporters on June 3, he said a deal might not come together, but if it does, it could happen as soon as this weekend. In theory, he added, the two sides were fairly close to signing a document.

In the June 5 interview, however, Trump also stressed that the negotiations may not be resolved easily. Rejecting criticism that the war has dragged on and that talks with Iran should be wrapped up quickly, he said such matters take years.

Trump said he was moving very quickly and that this was now his third month. He also noted that the Vietnam War lasted 19 years. People only ask when victory will come, he said, adding that no one would speak that way if he were a Democrat.

He also claimed the US had significantly damaged Iran's military capabilities. Trump said Washington had destroyed Iran's main drone factories, launchers and missile-production facilities, though Iran still retains production capacity.

More specifically, Trump said Iran still has about 21% to 22% of the missiles it originally possessed. That is still a substantial amount, he said, but nowhere near what it had when the US first struck.

With US-Iran talks still deadlocked, Trump signaled that Iran is holding out until the final stage while leaving open the possibility of a peace agreement.

Lee Song-ryeol, Hankyung.com reporter yisr0203@hankyung.com