President Donald Trump told reporters that if Iran does not give up its nuclear weapons program, military action led by Israel is a real possibility, adding he has a deadline in mind for when the two countries must come to an agreement.
The U.S. and Iran are expected to hold negotiations Saturday in Oman as the Trump administration continues to try to rein in the country’s nuclear program, threatening ‘great danger’ if the two sides fail to come to an agreement.
Trump told reporters from the Oval Office Wednesday he did have a deadline in mind for when the talks must culminate in an agreed-upon solution, but the president did not go into details about the nature of the timeline.
‘We have a little time, but we don’t have much time, because we’re not going to let them have a nuclear weapon. We can’t let them have a nuclear weapon.’ Trump said when pressed on details about his potential timeline. ‘I’m not asking for much. I just — I don’t — they can’t have a nuclear weapon.’
When asked about the potential for military action if Iran does not make a deal on their nuclear weapons, Trump said ‘Absolutely.’
‘If it requires military, we’re going to have military,’ the president told reporters. ‘Israel will obviously be very much involved in that. They’ll be the leader of that. But nobody leads us. We do what we want to do.’
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has expressed support for Iran’s complete denuclearization. During a visit to the White House, he expressed support for a deal similar to the one Libya sealed with the international community in 2003. The country gave up its entire nuclear arsenal.
‘Whatever happens, we have to make sure that Iran does not have nuclear weapons,’ Netanyahu said during the meeting.
The talks with Iran scheduled for Saturday in Oman have been characterized as ‘direct’ talks by Trump, but Iran’s foreign leaders have disputed that assertion, describing the talks as ‘indirect.’ Iran’s leaders have said if the talks go well Saturday, they would be open to further direct negotiations with the U.S.