Trump flags Iran targets as talks continue

Washington: US President Donald Trump on Saturday named Pickaxe Mountain as an Iranian site that needed to be dealt with, while saying negotiations with Tehran were progressing and leaving open whether diplomacy would produce an agreement.

Speaking to reporters in Palm Beach, Florida, Trump said there were still one or two sites to address. His remarks came hours after Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the president had not decided whether to launch fresh military action against Iran.

“You probably could look at Pickaxe Mountain, and you have to take care of that,” Trump said.

The president described the Iran negotiations as “going fine”, but questioned Tehran’s reliability.

“We'll see if they make a deal,” he said.

Trump also suggested that dealing with the remaining sites could be accomplished rapidly.

Earlier in Atlanta, Rubio declined to discuss possible military operations or say how long diplomatic efforts would be given to succeed. He said decisions on timing rested with Trump.

“We can achieve military objectives if we seek to. He hasn’t made a decision. I have no announcement in that regard with you today, and nor do we take any of it lightly,” Rubio told reporters at the conclusion of the G20 foreign ministers’ meeting.

Rubio said Trump preferred a diplomatic outcome and would already have acted if military force had been his preferred course.

“He’d prefer to solve it diplomatically,” he said.

Asked about Qatari-backed talks, Rubio said contacts with Iran had continued through several channels, including intermediaries and, in some cases, direct conversations. He declined to assess their progress or specify a deadline.

“There are multiple talks; talks have actually never stopped,” he said.

Rubio said Washington remained open to a diplomatic solution, but any arrangement would have to address US security concerns. He identified preventing Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons and confronting its support for armed groups across the Middle East as central American objectives.

The secretary also linked the confrontation to commercial shipping, accusing Iran of targeting vessels carrying energy supplies and other cargo. He specifically referred to ships with Indian sailors aboard.

Those allegations were made by Rubio during the press conference. The material reviewed for this report did not include an Iranian response.

Rubio said US forces were defending shipping against drones and missiles and called for wider international participation in protecting passage through the Strait of Hormuz. He described cooperation from other countries as limited and said the burden had fallen primarily on the United States.

The Atlanta meeting formed part of preparations for the G20 leaders’ summit in Florida in December. Its agenda included energy, supply chains, critical minerals, food security and freedom of navigation, reflecting the economic consequences of disruptions to international commerce.

Maritime security was a recurring subject in the discussions. Rubio said interruptions to the movement of energy, fertiliser and agricultural products threatened food supplies, while acknowledging that participants agreed more readily on the problems than on collective solutions.

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