Trump reveals whether he’ll strike Iran’s nuclear sites warning it’s ‘very late’ for negotiations
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Donald Trump said that he ‘can’t say’ whether he’ll authorize U.S. military strikes on Iran and revealed that the nation is seeking a way out of the escalating conflict with Israel.
Trump teased ‘I may do it, I may not do it,’ during a gaggle with reporters on the White House south lawn on Wednesday.
And he said it’s ‘very late’ to be talking to the Iranian side, indicating he is souring but not completely ruling out negotiations, just days after promoting talks.
It was the first time he addressed the media after an 80-minute Situation Room meeting with his top generals, national security and intelligence advisers Tuesday as Iran and Isreal traded fire.
The president also said that Iran’s leadership had reached out asking to come to the White House to strike a deal on their nuclear program.
But he said simply that it is ‘too late’ for negotiations after Iran launched a five-day barrage of attacks on U.S. ally Israel.
‘I said it’s very late, you know? I said it’s very late to be talking … There’s a big difference between now and a week ago, right?’ Trump said.
During the intervening days, Israeli forces have hammered Iran’s air defenses, taken out top military leaders, and landed repeated strikes on its nuclear facilities.
Donald Trump said that he ‘can’t say’ whether he’ll authorize U.S. military strikes on Iran
Trump ripped into Iran for being ‘school yard bullies’ for over 40 years but said that’s not the case anymore after Israeli attacks using US weaponry rendered the country ‘totally defenseless.’
But he warned that it’s not over yet and a lot can change in a week.
‘Nothing is finished until it is finished. War is very complex. A lot of bad things can happen. A lot of turns are made. I wouldn’t say we won anything yet,’ he added.
Trump at first ridiculed the question when a reporter asked him about his mindset on striking Iranian nuclear facilities.
Israel has been pounding Iran’s nuclear sites from the air, but would like to enlist U.S. firepower to help take out nuclear enrichment sites believed to be hidden deep underground at sites like Fordow.
‘You don’t seriously think I’m going to answer that question: “Will you strike the Iranian nuclear component, and what time exactly, sir?”‘ Trump mocked his questioner.
‘Sir would you strike it? Would you please inform us so we can be there and watch? I mean, you don’t know that I’m going to even do it. You don’t know. I may do it, I may not do it. I mean, nobody knows what I’m going to do,’ Trump said.
‘I can tell you this, that Iran has got a lot of trouble, and they want to negotiate. And I said, Why didn’t you negotiate with me before all this death and destruction?’
On Tuesday, Trump held a crisis meeting in the White House Situation Room to make a determination on whether to engage U.S. forces in Israel’s war with Iran.
Trump has already issued a chilling death threat to Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, revealing the U.S. knows his precise location and that he is an ‘easy target.’
Four U.S. B-52 Stratofortress bombers are now stationed at the Diego Garcia base in the Indian Ocean, within striking distance of Iran.
The B-52s, which can carry nuclear weapons or other precision-guided bombs, were spotted on a runway at Diego Garcia on Monday.
Trump made his threat to the Ayatollah after abruptly ending G7 meetings in Canada to fly back to Washington.
His sudden departure immediately raised the prospect of an expanded war between Israel and Iran, and the potential for direct U.S. involvement.
Trump even angrily brushed off suggestions from French President Emmanuel Macron that he was returning to Washington to forge a peace deal between Israel and Iran.
Hostilities erupted early Friday when Israel launched a massive pre-emptive strike on Iran, hitting nuclear and military facilities and killing top military brass and nuclear scientists.
Trump posted on Truth Social on Tuesday: ‘We know exactly where the so-called “Supreme Leader” is hiding
‘He is an easy target, but is safe there – We are not going to take him out (kill!), at least not for now. But we don’t want missiles shot at civilians, or American soldiers. Our patience is wearing thin. Thank you for your attention to this matter!’
This is a breaking story and will be updated.
United States Air Force B-52 bombers are within range of Iran
‘We know exactly where the so-called ‘Supreme Leader’ is hiding,’ Trump posted on Truth Social’
Trump teased ‘I may do it, I may not do it,’ during a gaggle with reporters on the White House lawn on Wednesday
