As his administration considers U.S. engagement in the escalating crisis between Israel and Iran, President Donald Trump stated that his decision to authorize military attacks against Iran’s nuclear facilities remains uncertain.
At a news conference outside the White House on Wednesday, Trump indicated that the possibility of American strikes on Iranian nuclear sites was still being considered, but that “next week is going to be very big.”
The president went on to say that Tehran, the capital of Iran, is having a difficult time getting back to the bargaining table following its Sunday retreat.
“I might do that, actually. This might not even be something I do. My next move is a mystery to everyone. As far as Iran is concerned, they are in a lot of danger, and they are willing to deal, Trump said reporters on Wednesday. I then said, “Why didn’t you try to negotiate with me before everything went downhill?” Why stayed home instead? I asked why we hadn’t negotiated with each other two weeks earlier. You were capable of doing well. A nation would have been yours. Seeing this makes me sad.
Trump has urged Iran to sign a nuclear deal and has stated that he thinks Iran was extremely near to getting a nuclear bomb. Iran withdrew Friday from the negotiations, even though the United States and Iran were supposed to meet in Oman on Sunday.
On Wednesday, Trump restated his earlier claims that Iran would be unable to get nuclear weapons.
You just cannot pose this kind of threat. “Iran has been a threat to us for a long time,” Trump added. When you look at my past, especially the last fifteen years, you’ll see that I said we must not allow Iran to develop nuclear weapons. I’ve been stating this for quite some time.
Consequently, Trump informed reporters that he sent the “ultimate ultimatum” to Iran.
“Maybe you could call it the ultimate — the ultimate ultimatum, right?” asked the man.
Israel claimed to have killed many high-ranking military commanders in its major attacks against Iran’s nuclear sites, which further exacerbated tensions between the two countries on Thursday. The two countries are intensifying their military confrontations, with Iran responding by launching strikes on Israel.
Trump told Reuters that he knew about the assaults on Iran beforehand, contradicting Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s earlier statements that the United States was not engaged.
If the United States were to become involved in the crisis, Iran has warned, it would lead to a “all-out war.”
“Any American intervention would be a recipe for an all-out war in the region,” stated Esmail Baghaei, spokesman for Iran’s foreign ministry, in an interview with Al Jazeera English on Wednesday.
In February, Trump issued an executive order directing the Treasury Department to impose “maximum economic pressure” on Iran by means of a set of sanctions designed to halt the country’s oil exports. This follows years of warnings from Trump that military action could be taken against Iran in the event that nuclear negotiations fail.