WASHINGTON : US President Donald Trump has said that the recent ceasefire with Iran was arranged as a “favour” to Pakistan and followed requests made by several other countries.
Speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One during his return from a state visit to China, he said the decision was not one he personally supported.
“We really did the ceasefire at the request of other nations, I would not have been in favour of it. We did it as a favour to Pakistan, they are terrific people, the field marshal, the prime minister,” Trump said.
He further stated that he would be open to a 20-year suspension of Iran’s nuclear programme, while rejecting Tehran’s latest proposal, calling it “not acceptable.”
The US president also criticised former President Joe Biden, saying Biden had struck an “extremely bad deal” with Iran.
Discussing his meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping, Trump said the two leaders held detailed discussions on Taiwan, while noting that China remained firmly committed to its position on the issue.
When asked about arms supplies to Taiwan, Trump gave an unclear response, saying the US “may provide weapons to Taiwan, and may not.”
On trade matters, he clarified that tariff issues were not discussed, but said China had agreed to purchase billions of dollars worth of US soybeans.
Trump added that he reached broad understanding and consensus with the Chinese leadership on several key issues during the visit.
