Trump says "not open" to Iran's concessions

Alsharq Tribune-Ahmed Essam 

U.S. President Donald Trump said Monday he is "not open" to any Iranian concessions after receiving Tehran's updated response to a peace deal one day earlier.

Iran knows "what's going to be happening soon," he said in a phone interview with the New York Post.

Asked about his Friday remarks that he would be willing to accept a 20-year moratorium on Iranian uranium enrichment, Trump interjected: "I'm not open to anything right now."

Trump declined to get into any detail. "I can't really talk to you about it. Too many things are happening," he said.

Trump said he is not "frustrated" with Tehran, while making clear that Iran is fully aware the United States can inflict more pain.

"I can tell you they want to make a deal more than ever, because they know we're -- what's going to be happening soon," he said. "It's a negotiation. I don't want to be stupid."

The White House believes the latest offer from Iran is insufficient for a peace deal, U.S. online media Axios reported earlier on Monday, citing a senior U.S. official.

On Sunday, Trump warned that "the clock is ticking" for Iran, threatening again that the country would be left with nothing if its leadership failed to act quickly.

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said on Monday that it is not correct to chant slogans against holding negotiations. "We negotiate with dignity and will never back down," according to a statement published on the website of his office.