U.S. President Donald Trump has said he is still undecided on whether the United States will join Israel in launching another military strike after Iran strikes.
Speaking on the White House South Lawn on Wednesday, Trump told reporters that Iran had reached out for negotiations, but that it might be too late.“I may do it, I may not do it. I mean, nobody knows what I’m going to do,” Trump said when asked if he would approve U.S. airstrikes on Iran.
“Iran’s got a lot of trouble, and they want to negotiate.”
According to Trump, Tehran had suggested sending envoys to the White House to discuss its nuclear program as a way to end Israel’s ongoing air campaign.
However, he dismissed the gesture as coming too late in the conflict.“They’ve suggested they come to the White House. That’s courageous, but not easy for them. I said it’s very late to be talking. We may meet,” he said.
“There’s a big difference between now and a week ago, right?”
Trump reiterated his call for Iran’s “unconditional surrender,” a phrase he said meant: “I’ve had it. I give up, no more—we go and blow up all the nuclear stuff that’s all over the place.”
The President had previously favored a diplomatic solution to Iran’s nuclear ambitions, seeking a tougher replacement for the 2015 agreement he pulled the U.S. out of in 2018.
But with Israel striking Iranian targets for the past six days, Trump has grown more supportive of U.S. military involvement.
On social media Tuesday, he described Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, as an “easy target” and renewed his demand for Iran to surrender.
In response, Khamenei warned of “irreparable damage” if the U.S. intervenes.
Khamenei also warned of launching more Iran strikes if the United Kingdom and France support Israel in the ongoing war.
Iran’s UN mission also denied that it had ever requested a White House meeting, calling Trump’s claims false and offensive.
Meanwhile, Trump praised Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s leadership and said they speak daily. “Keep going,” he said of Israel’s military actions. “He’s a good man, doing a lot.”
Trump also dismissed Russian President Vladimir Putin’s offer to mediate in the crisis, telling him to “Do me a favor, mediate your own. Let’s mediate Russia first, okay? You can worry about this later.”
