U.S. President Donald Trump on Wednesday said the United States was ready to proceed with further attacks ​on Tehran if Iran did not agree to a peace deal, but suggested Washington could wait a few days to “get the right answers.”

Speaking to reporters, Trump said the situation was “right on the ‌borderline” and could escalate quickly, Reuters reported.

Six weeks after he paused Operation Epic Fury for a ceasefire, talks to end the war have shown little progress, while soaring gasoline prices have weighed on the president’s approval ratings.

“Believe me, if we don’t get the right answers, it goes very quickly. We’re all ready to go,” he said at Joint Base Andrews. Asked how long he would wait, Trump said, “It could be a few days, but it could go very quickly.”

Iran warned against renewed attacks. “If aggression against Iran is repeated, the promised regional war will extend beyond the region ​this time,” the Revolutionary Guards said in a statement.

Trump reiterated his determination not to allow Iran to acquire a nuclear weapon. “We’re in the final stages of Iran. We’ll see what happens. Either have a deal or ​we’re going to do some things that are a little bit nasty, but hopefully that won’t happen,” Trump told reporters earlier in the day. “Ideally I’d like to see few ⁠people killed, as opposed to a lot. We can do it either way.”

He spoke with Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan, who welcomed the extension of the ceasefire and told Trump he thought a “reasonable solution” was possible, Ankara said.

Parliament Speaker Mohammad Baqer ​Qalibaf, Iran’s top peace negotiator, said in an audio message on social media that “obvious and hidden moves by the enemy” showed the Americans were preparing new attacks.

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said Tehran remained open to negotiations, but added in an X ​post, “forcing Iran to surrender through coercion is nothing but an illusion.”

‘SUSPICION OVER AMERICA’S PERFORMANCE’

Foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei said Iran was pursuing negotiations “with seriousness and good faith, but it has strong and reasonable suspicion over America’s performance.”

In the latest diplomatic push, the interior minister of Pakistan – which hosted the only round of peace talks so far and has since been the conduit for messages between the sides – was in Tehran on Wednesday.

Baghaei said Washington and Tehran continued to exchange messages through the Pakistani minister’s mediation.

Iran submitted a new offer to the U.S. this ​week. Tehran’s descriptions suggest it largely repeats terms previously rejected by Trump, including demands for control of the Strait of Hormuz, compensation for war damage, lifting of sanctions, release of frozen assets and the withdrawal of U.S. troops.

Trump on ​Tuesday said he had been an hour away from ordering attacks this week in response to requests from several of Iran’s Gulf neighbours.

CHINESE TANKERS CROSS STRAIT

Iran has largely shut the Strait of Hormuz to all ships apart from its own since the U.S.-Israeli attacks ‌began on February ⁠28, causing the biggest disruption to global energy supplies in history. The U.S. responded last month with its own blockade of Iran’s ports.

Iran on Wednesday released a map showing a “controlled maritime zone” at the strait and said transit would require authorization from the newly created authority. It says it aims to reopen the strait to friendly countries that abide by its terms. That could potentially include fees for access, which Washington says would be unacceptable.

Two giant Chinese tankers laden with a total of around 4 million barrels of oil exited the strait on Wednesday. Iran had announced last week, while Trump was in Beijing for a summit, that it had agreed to ease rules for Chinese ships.

South Korea’s foreign minister said on Wednesday a ​Korean tanker was crossing the strait in cooperation with Iran.

Shipping ​monitor Lloyd’s List said at least 54 ships had ⁠transited the strait last week, about double the previous week. Iran said 26 ships had crossed in the past 24 hours, still only a fraction of the 140 per day before the war.

PRESSURE TO END WAR

Trump is under pressure to end the war, with soaring energy prices hurting his Republican Party ahead of congressional elections in November.

“Investors are keen to ​gauge whether Washington and Tehran can actually find common ground and reach a peace agreement, with the U.S. stance shifting daily,” said Toshitaka Tazawa, an analyst at Fujitomi ​Securities.

U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent told ⁠Reuters in an interview on Tuesday that he viewed elevated yields and headline inflation as “transient” and they will subside when the conflict ends.

“The strait will open, and we’ll normalize energy prices,” he said.

The U.S.-Israeli bombing killed thousands of people in Iran before it was suspended in a ceasefire in early April. Israel has also killed thousands more and driven hundreds of thousands from their homes in Lebanon, which it invaded in pursuit of the Iran-backed Hezbollah militia. Iranian strikes on Israel and neighbouring Gulf states have ⁠killed dozens of ​people.

Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said when they launched the war that their aims were to curb Iran’s support for regional militias, ​dismantle its nuclear programme, destroy its missile capabilities and make it easier for Iranians to topple their rulers.

But Iran has so far retained its stockpile of near-weapons-grade enriched uranium, and its ability to threaten neighbours with missiles, drones and proxy militias. Its clerical rulers, who put down a mass ​uprising at the start of the year, have faced no sign of organised opposition since the war began.

The U.S. Senate advanced a war-powers resolution on Tuesday that would end ​the Iran war unless President Donald Trump obtains Congress’ authorization, a rare rebuke of the Republican leader 80 days after ‌U.S. and Israeli forces began striking Iran, Reuters reported.

The vote on a procedural measure to advance the resolution was 50 to 47, as four of Trump’s fellow Republicans voted with every Democrat but one in favor. Three Republicans missed the vote.

The result was a victory for lawmakers who have been arguing that Congress, not the president, should have ​the power to send troops to war, as spelled out in the Constitution. However, it was only a procedural vote, and ​the resolution faces steep hurdles before going into effect.

Even if it eventually passes the 100-member Senate, the resolution ⁠must also pass the Republican-led House of Representatives and garner two-thirds majorities in both the House and Senate to survive an expected Trump ​veto.

Democratic Senator Tim Kaine of Virginia, who sponsored the resolution, said a ceasefire offered Trump an ideal opportunity to make his case to Congress ​as the president has said Tehran has made a new proposal to end the U.S.-Israeli war that began on February 28.

“That’s the perfect time to have a discussion before we start up war again. The president is receiving peace and diplomatic proposals that he is throwing into the trash can without sharing them with us,” Kaine ​said during debate before the vote.

Trump’s Republicans blocked seven previous attempts to advance similar resolutions in the Senate this year. They have also stopped three ​war-powers resolutions by narrow votes in the House this year.

Senator John Fetterman of Pennsylvania was the only Democrat to vote against the measure. Republicans Rand ‌Paul of ⁠Kentucky, Susan Collins of Maine and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska voted in favor, as did Senator Bill Cassidy of Louisiana, days after he lost his primary to an opponent backed by Trump, read the report.

The war-powers vote was the second in the Senate since the conflict hit a deadline on May 1, 60 days after Trump formally informed Congress that the conflict had started, for Trump to come to Congress about the war.

Under a 1973 U.S. ​war-powers law passed in response to ​the Vietnam War, a U.S. president ⁠can wage military action for only 60 days before ending it, asking Congress for authorization or seeking a 30-day extension due to “unavoidable military necessity regarding the safety of United States Armed Forces” while withdrawing forces.

Trump declared ​on May 1 that a ceasefire had “terminated” hostilities against Iran.

Despite that assertion, the U.S. has been blockading ​Iranian ports and ⁠striking Iranian ships, and Iran has been effectively blocking the Strait of Hormuz and attacking U.S. ships.

Democrats, and a few Republicans, have called on Trump to come to Congress for authorization to use military force, noting that the U.S. Constitution says that Congress, not the president, can declare war. They have ⁠expressed concerns ​that Trump may have entered the country into a long conflict without setting out ​a clear strategy.

Republicans, and the White House, say Trump’s actions are legal and within his rights as commander in chief to protect the U.S. by ordering limited military operations.

Some congressional ​Republicans have accused Democrats of filing the war-powers resolutions only because of their partisan opposition to Trump.

A security guard who was killed during a deadly shooting at a mosque in San Diego is being remembered as a hero after authorities said his actions helped save lives.

Amin Abdullah, a father of eight and longtime security guard at the Islamic Center of San Diego, was among three people killed in Monday’s attack, according to the Council on American-Islamic Relations-San Diego (CAIR-SD).

San Diego Police Chief Scott Wahl praised Abdullah’s response during the shooting, saying his actions were “heroic” and likely prevented further casualties.

“Undoubtedly, he saved lives today,” Wahl told reporters during a news conference.

The other victims were identified by CAIR-SD as Mansour Kaziha and Nader Awad.

According to police, two teenage suspects carried out the attack before later taking their own lives. Authorities said the suspects, aged 17 and 18, were found dead from self-inflicted gunshot wounds inside a vehicle several blocks from the mosque.

Investigators are treating the incident as a suspected hate crime. Police said “hate rhetoric” was connected to the attack, though officials have not yet released additional details about the suspects or their motives.

The shooting unfolded after the mother of one of the teenagers reportedly contacted police earlier in the day to say her son had run away with a friend and might be suicidal.

Hours later, officers searching for the pair discovered three victims suffering from gunshot wounds outside the Islamic Center of San Diego, including Abdullah.

Members of the local Muslim community described Abdullah as a kind and devoted figure who had spent more than a decade protecting worshippers at the mosque.

In a statement, the mosque said Abdullah “put himself on the line for the safety of others” and continued protecting the community even in his final moments.

Friends and community members also paid tribute on social media, remembering him as compassionate and welcoming to everyone who visited the mosque.

“He would greet anyone and make sure they were OK,” community member Sam Hamideh told local media.