WASHINGTON (TNND) — In a new interview ahead of a meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, President Donald Trump expressed optimism that a nuclear deal can be made with Iran. He is, however, prepared for the alternative.
In a new interview ahead of a meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, President Donald Trump expressed optimism that a nuclear deal can be made with Iran. He is, however, prepared for the alternative. (TNND)
“Either we will make a deal or we will have to do something very tough like last time,” Trump told Axios on Tuesday, referring to U.S. strikes on three Iranian nuclear facilities last summer.
According to Axios, Trump is “thinking” about sending another aircraft carrier strike group to the Middle East if talks with Iran fail. This would be in addition to the USS Abraham Lincoln strike group already positioned near Iran.
The president said he expected the next round of talks to occur next week, instead of this week, as he previously said. It’s unclear if the Iranian and American delegations will advance to face-to-face talks or continue using a moderator as they did in Oman last week.
Before his departure to Washington, Netanyahu said he would “present to the president our outlook regarding the principles of these negotiations, the essential principles which, in my opinion, are important not only to Israel, but to everyone around the world who wants peace and security in the Middle East.”
This marks Netanyahu’s seventh trip to meet with Trump over the past year. The two leaders share a bond Iran views as having no place in their bilateral talks.
“The Zionist regime has repeatedly shown that it is a saboteur and opposes any diplomatic process in our region that would lead to peace. Therefore, it is up to American officials to act independently of these pressures and the influence of these lobbies and not allow others to decide on American foreign policy,” Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei said during a press conference on Tuesday.
Baghaei also responded to new sanctions the Trump administration imposed mere hours after the indirect talks in Oman.
“This shows America’s addiction to using economic tools to exert pressure on countries. While the U.S. constantly talks about diplomacy and dialogue, it simultaneously tries to increase its means of exerting pressure, as it sees fit. But experience has shown that in the case of the Islamic Republic of Iran, none of these pressures and threats will have any effect, and this is what is important,” Baghaei said.
A potential starting point for compromise on Iran’s nuclear program emerged earlier this week when Iran’s top nuclear official suggested the country could dilute its highly enriched uranium in exchange for total sanctions removal. This may go nowhere as Trump has long said he won’t tolerate any enrichment by Iran, even at the lowest level.
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