Trump doesn’t rule out military action against Iran as nuclear talks begin

United States President Donald Trump declined Wednesday to rule out military action against Iran as senior U.S. officials prepare to engage in talks with their Iranian counterparts over Tehran’s nuclear program.

Speaking to reporters at the White House, Trump described Saturday’s negotiations as the start of a “process.” He did not provide a timeline for when the talks would conclude, stating that his decision on when to end discussions would depend on a “feeling.”

“We have a little time, but we don’t have much time, because we’re not going to let them have a nuclear weapon, and we’re gonna let them thrive. I want them to thrive. I want Iran to be great. The only thing they can’t have is a nuclear weapon. They understand that,” Trump said.

‘We do what we want to do’

He added, “But with Iran, yeah, if it requires military, we’re going to have military. Israel will obviously be very much involved in that. It’ll be the leader of that. But nobody leads us. We do what we want to do.”

Trump reiterated that the upcoming talks, set to begin Saturday in Oman, are “in Iran’s best interests” and warned that Tehran would face “great danger” if an agreement is not reached.

According to U.S. media outlet Axios, Steve Witkoff, Trump’s special envoy, will lead the U.S. delegation in the talks with Iran. The news outlet cited two sources familiar with the plan.