Trump says U.S.-Iran negotiations resume after military strike threat

President Donald Trump says negotiations between the United States and Iran to end the war are set to resume , just days after he threatened major new military strikes against Iran.

(NBC)- President Donald Trump says negotiations between the United States and Iran to end the war are set to resume Monday, just days after he threatened major new military strikes against Iran.

Speaking Sunday, Trump said the U.S. was prepared to launch what he described as its largest military strikes since World War II. However, he said allies in the Middle East urged the administration to hold off because they believed a diplomatic agreement was still possible.

“We’re all set to go, but when the allies ask to call it off, you have to sort of say, ‘Well, let’s see,'” Trump said. “The reason they asked [is] because they think there’s a deal.”

Qatar University professor Abdullah Banndar Al-Etaibi said back-channel diplomacy played a key role in persuading the president to give negotiations another chance.

“The back channel diplomacy worked really hard to convince President Trump to give a chance to diplomacy again,” Al-Etaibi said.

According to the report, U.S. embassies had earlier advised Americans to consider leaving the region as tensions remained high.

Since the war began in February, this marks at least the fourth time Trump has threatened to escalate military action against Iran before later pausing those plans.

Some Democrats remain skeptical that the renewed negotiations will lead to lasting progress.

Sen. Mark Kelly of Arizona said he believes the president would prefer to return to the situation that existed before the conflict intensified.

Trump, however, insisted the U.S. remains prepared to use military force if necessary but said he would rather reach a diplomatic agreement.

“We’re ready to go anytime we want,” Trump said. “Would I rather make a deal? I’m not looking to kill people because people die. A lot of people die, and we don’t want that.”

The president said there is no deadline for negotiators to reach an agreement.