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DONALD TRUMP HAS said he is happy to meet with Iran’s leaders “any time” and without preconditions, one week after tensions soared between Washington and Tehran.
“I would meet with Iran if they wanted to meet. I don’t know if they are ready yet,” Trump told a White House press conference with Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte at his side.
“No preconditions,” he added.
“They want to meet, I’ll meet. Any time they want. Good for the country. Good for them. Good for us. And good for the world.”
Trump’s offer comes after a provocative warning a week ago from Iranian President Hassan Rouhani, who said the US should not “play with the lion’s tail” and warned that any conflict with Iran would be the “mother of all wars”.
Trump responded with an all-caps tirade on Twitter: “NEVER, EVER THREATEN THE UNITED STATES AGAIN OR YOU WILL SUFFER CONSEQUENCES THE LIKES OF WHICH FEW THROUGHOUT HISTORY HAVE EVER SUFFERED BEFORE.”
“WE ARE NO LONGER A COUNTRY THAT WILL STAND FOR YOUR DEMENTED WORDS OF VIOLENCE & DEATH. BE CAUTIOUS!” he added.
The US is regularly suspected of backing the idea of regime change, but analysts read the tweets as simply a way for Trump to pivot after a week of dire headlines over his much-maligned summit with Russia’s Vladimir Putin.
In May, Trump — who has made Iran his public enemy number one — announced the US withdrawal from what he called a “defective” multinational nuclear deal with Tehran, and moved to reinstate punishing sanctions.
The 2015 agreement came in response to fears that Iran was developing a nuclear bomb. Washington’s European allies maintain their support for the deal and have vowed to stay in it, though their businesses fear US penalties.
“I ended the Iran deal. It was a ridiculous deal,” Trump said.
“If we could work something out that’s meaningful, not the waste of paper that the other deal was, I would certainly be willing to meet.”
Trump said he and Conte had agreed that the “brutal regime in Iran must never be allowed to possess a nuclear weapon. Never.”
“We encourage all nations to pressure Iran to end the full range of its malign activities,” the US leader added.
‘I believe in meeting’
Trump has repeatedly shown a willingness to cast traditional diplomatic protocol aside and meet with leaders shunned by other administrations, including North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.
“I believe in meeting,” Trump said.
“Speaking to other people, especially when you are talking about potentials of war and death, and famine and lots of other things, you meet.”
On July 23, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said Washington was not afraid to sanction top-ranking leaders of the “nightmare” Iranian regime.
Pompeo also said that Washington wants all countries to reduce their imports of Iranian oil “as close to zero as possible” by November 4, or face American sanctions.
“There’s more to come,” Pompeo said of the US financial penalties.
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Say nothing or the Government will impose an early switch on tax.
Sh!t, I knew I forgot to turn something off a few months back.
Has the comments of the week article been disposed of lads? It had become a bit of a Saturday morning tradition tbh
I’ve noticed that too. There’s been no ‘Top Comments…’ article for the last couple of weeks.
mcgoo. 3 weeks now. Yes it’s missed. Bit of light hearted banter it was..
@mcgoo:
Brinster must have most comments. Trouble is, he said nothing.
Nevermind comment of the Week. — Where is Quinton gone with them Techie articles?
And that fella who called himself a businessman and came out with utter claptrap. He was entertaining
Why worry about what the great unwashed vote for, let them eat cake!
It might be because some of the top comments have been criticising the journal over there closing comments on other articles.
No, still have the windows open.
It’s all in the mind, if you think you’re cold you’ll feel cold, but this isn’t cold weather, it’s mild temperatures.
Just put a fleece on at night, you’ll be grand.
I would hazard a guess that the majority of women in Ireland have turned the heat on, while they have killings with their man who is trying to turn it off without getting caught. This exciting little game will now go on continuously until around next May or June.
And I thought it was only me
Not since they put a freeze on Irish water bills. I used to use them to light the fire.
Not until Christmas Eve.
@David Murphey:
Old school.
Respect.
I wear an extra Geansaí around the house.
@brian magee:
What’s a geansai?
Cod piece.
Along the western coast of Ireland, 2016 has been a bleak dismal summer without sun or heat
Not so great in the “sunny” south east either.
Just how we like it.
For some people, it is a choice of heat or food and medicine.
Or beer even.
Everyone is different. While my sister has her heating on I find an hour or two in the evening just to warm up the house is grand.
Am male. Don’t need heating.
How about just Yes/No?
There’s no on switch with solid fuel. Have I started burning the stock of wood I logged this year or the turf saved? Just in the last few days on the small stove. At least I know for certain that the fuel only has my blood on it.
‘A’ rated gaff so no need to yet, thankfully.
‘C’ rated gaff, burnt the lot in Sept and was warm for an hour!!!!
@M Bowe: x rated gaff, always on fire.
Don’t you just love the #Irish sense of humour!
Yes indeed. Lets keep it that way. Don’t overly dilute the gene pool!
Waiting to see how much the government give us back in the budget before i make an extravagant decision about warming my house up
No but we’ve turned the emmersion off!
Turning off the emersion won’t really make any savings. If you hot water isn’t being used and the cylinder properly insulated the emersion won’t need to heat water therefore not use any substantially measurable amount of electricity. I only had two wash hand basins and a sink off the hot water so instead of heating a cylinder of water I opted for a combination boiler which heats the hot water as I need it
Its spelt immersion. Ive had heating on for an hour or two here and there, but lit the first fire of the year last night. Love having a big open fire in the sitting room. #smellofturf
Spelled is spelled spelled. Not spelt.
Good to see so many options but what about, ‘Yes, just for some of the colder nights/ mornings’….all depends on your heating options because as already mentioned solid fuel stoves can be turned down to a continuous warm output.
Should be another option. Did the wife turn on the heating yet …
Invest in a smart thermostat. One that learns your habits, and that you can temporarily override at the touch of a button or twist of a knob, or even from you smartphone. Forgot to change a setting when you left the gaff? No problem!
There are a number of good brands to choose from these days too, and some can do your hot water too.
A++ rated so no
@Leitrim303: Bought a timber-framed house and it has struggled to drop below 18 degrees even downstairs.
@Danny Nash: ya we have no oil boiler. the house stays around 20c even in winter. Defiantly the way to go.
Nah! It’s still 30C here . . .
Nope. Not cold enough yet
Me mammy leaves her bedroom window open every night of the year. And she doesnt allow the heating to be on. Its always like an igloo in our house. To me anyway
still beautiful over here in Toronto!
Legend summer and autumn.
Hell no, I’m sweating in this weather
Need to find the switch first.
have your say