US President Donald Trump said on Friday he remains determined to reach a deal with Iran but made clear that diplomacy has limits, warning that sometimes you have to use military force if Tehran refuses to abandon its nuclear ambitions.
Trump spoke to reporters as he left the White House for a trip to Texas, expressing frustration with Iran’s reluctance to give up nuclear weapons even as Washington negotiators held talks in Geneva that ended without an agreement.
“I’d love not to use it but sometimes you have to,” Trump said, referring to potential military action while reiterating that the United States has the greatest military in the world.
However, Trump said he still wants to make a deal with Iran and that further discussions on the issue were expected in the next talk. He noted that US defense officials had been meeting at the White House and that diplomacy would continue even as a significant US military presence remains poised in the region.
“We want no nuclear weapons by Iran and they’re not saying those golden words,” Trump said, using a phrase he has applied to previous negotiations.
The President’s comments came a day after US envoys, including Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, concluded nuclear talks with Iranian officials in Geneva with no breakthrough. Trump has faced internal skepticism over the prospects for a deal and has previously warned that failing diplomacy could lead to more direct action.
Oman, which has acted as a mediator in the negotiations, sent its foreign minister to Washington on Friday for discussions with Vice President JD Vance. Trump’s remarks suggested that while diplomacy remains on the table, military force is still part of his strategic calculus.
The President, who is heading to Corpus Christi, Texas, for events before flying to his Mar-a-Lago club in Florida for the weekend, has made clear that Iran’s nuclear program must be curbed even as the talks drag on.
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With inputs form Reuters
