Trump calls Iran 'a mess' after Tehran scorns nuclear talks

The U.S. and Iran may have stepped back from the brink of war, but appear no closer to a diplomatic resolution amid a fraught standoff.

Tehran on Thursday rebuffed President Donald Trump's suggestion that the two sides begin negotiations while U.S. sanctions remain in place.

(SOUNDBITE) (English) U.S. PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP, SAYING:

"They're getting hurt very badly by the sanctions. It all can end very quickly.

Trump on Thursday said the U.S. could lift sanctions if Iran acquiesced to American demands over its support for militants and its nuclear program.

(SOUNDBITE) (English) U.S. PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP, SAYING:

"They can straighten out their country. Iran right now is a mess. They can straighten out the economics of their country very, very quickly. Let's see whether or not they negotiate."

The two sides appeared to halt their march toward hostilities this week.

Fears of open conflict flared after a U.S. drone strike killed a top Iranian commander, Qassem Soleimani.

Iran responded by firing a fusillade of ballistic missiles at military bases in Iraq housing U.S. troops.

(SOUNDBITE) (English) U.S. PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP, SAYING:

"They hit us with missiles. They shouldn't have done that. But they hit us. Fortunately, for them, nobody was hurt, nobody was killed."

After the barrage, Trump said Iran appeared to be standing down, and he said the U.S. did not want to use its military.

But Iran on Thursday issued new threats.

A senior commander in Iran's Revolutionary Guards warned of "harsher revenge soon" and another said Wednesday's missile strikes were only the start of a series of attacks across the region.

The new head of the elite Quds Force, which handles Iran's foreign military operations, said he would follow the course pursued by Qassem Soleimani.