Trump ready to meet with Iranian president but says willing to lead attack if nuclear talks fail
“If no agreement is reached — I’ll gladly join. I’ll lead it,” Trump declared. "I hope we can do it without an attack — but we may have to."
In an interview published on Friday, U.S. President Donald Trump said he was open to meeting Iran’s supreme leader or president as the two countries began talks on Iran’s nuclear program. In the same interview with Time magazine, the leader clarified that if no resolution is reached through diplomacy, he would willingly take action against the Islamic Republic's nuclear facilities, and lead the charge.
Following a meeting last week to outline a framework for a potential nuclear deal, which a US official described as yielding “very good progress,” Trump told Time “I think we’re going to make a deal with Iran.”
Asked whether he was open to meeting Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei or President Masoud Pezeshkian, Trump replies: “Sure.”
“If no agreement is reached — I’ll gladly join. I’ll lead it,” Trump declared. "I hope we can do it without an attack — but we may have to."
Trump, who in 2018 pulled the US out of a 2015 nuclear agreement between Tehran and world powers, has warned of military action against Iran unless a new deal is swiftly reached to prevent it from developing nuclear weapons.
Since 2019, Iran has breached the 2015 deal’s limits on its uranium enrichment, producing stocks far above what the United Nations' nuclear inspectors say is necessary for a civilian energy program.
Israel regards the potentiality of the antisemitic mullah regime acquiring nuclear weapons as an existential threat.