WASHINGTON (Dunya News) - US President Donald Trump said that Washington is currently pursuing a lower-intensity approach toward Iran and has not threatened a new major military operation against Tehran.
In an interview with US news outlet Axios, Trump said the United States was engaged in only “semi-negotiations” with Iran while continuing to closely monitor the situation in the country.
Trump said Iran was facing severe inflation and a serious economic crisis, claiming that the country lacked sufficient funds and even faced difficulties paying its military personnel.
The US president said the American naval blockade had further intensified Iran’s economic problems.
However, he indicated that Washington would allow economic pressure on Iran to increase and would not launch a new military operation for now.
Describing the ongoing situation with Iran as a game of chess, Trump said that “ultimately, everything will work out.”
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He added that the matter with Iran was not over and that the United States and Iran were still “in the middle of the game.”
Trump also said pressure on US consumers from the conflict remained limited as oil prices were slightly above $75 a barrel.
Earlier, the head of Iran’s Forensic Medicine Organization said that 3,519 people were killed during a 40-day war with the United States.
He said the figure does not include people killed in clashes with the United States in recent weeks, particularly in southern Iran.
The fatalities included approximately 3,000 men and 500 women.
The official said 270 students were also among those killed, with the majority reportedly students at the Shajareh Tayyebeh School in Minab, who were killed on the first day of the US and Israeli attacks on Iran.
He added that 38 of the victims were children under the age of five.