Trump: Israeli strike on Iran not imminent, but could happen
"Iran's going to have to negotiate a little bit tougher, meaning they're going to have to give us something they're not willing to give us right now," said Trump.
US President Donald Trump said on Thursday that an Israeli strike on Iran "could very well happen," but he would not call it imminent, and that he would prefer to avoid conflict with Tehran and reach a peaceful solution over its nuclear program.
Trump's comments came after the UN nuclear watchdog's board of governors declared Iran in breach of its non-proliferation obligations and Tehran announced counter-measures, as an Iranian official said a "friendly country" had warned it of a potential Israeli attack.
US and Iranian officials will hold a sixth round of talks on Tehran's escalating uranium enrichment program in Oman on Sunday, according to US and Omani officials.
But security concerns have risen since Trump said on Wednesday American personnel were being moved out of the region because "it could be a dangerous place" and that Tehran would not be allowed to develop a nuclear weapon.
Washington is concerned that Israel could take military action against Iran in the coming days, US officials said on condition of anonymity, despite Trump's recent warning to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu against such a strike while US diplomacy continues with Tehran.
"I don't want to say imminent, but it looks like it's something that could very well happen," Trump told reporters at a White House event, adding Iran could not be allowed to develop a nuclear weapon.
"I'd love to avoid the conflict," he said. "Iran's going to have to negotiate a little bit tougher, meaning they're going to have to give us something they're not willing to give us right now."
IDF Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir reportedly told Netanyahu that Israel cannot act alone against Iran and requires coordination with the US, sources told Channel 13.
According to Channel 13, Zamir "stood firm on the matter."
Middle east already destabilized
Security in the Middle East has already been destabilized by spillover effects of the Gaza war between Israel and terrorist group Hamas.Trump has threatened to bomb Iran if the nuclear talks do not yield a deal and said he has become less confident Tehran will agree to stop enriching uranium. The Islamic Republic wants to lift the US sanctions imposed on it since 2018.
Earlier on Thursday, Trump expressed frustration that oil prices had risen amid supply concerns arising from potential conflict in the Middle East.
With Washington offering little explanation for its security concerns, some foreign diplomats suggested that the evacuation of personnel and US officials anonymously raising the specter of an Israeli attack on Iran, could be a ploy to ratchet up pressure on Tehran for concessions at the negotiating table.
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said that even if the country's nuclear facilities were destroyed by bombs, they would be rebuilt, state media reported on Thursday.
The International Atomic Energy Agency's Board of Governors declared Iran in breach of its non-proliferation obligations for the first time in almost 20 years, raising the prospect of reporting it to the UN Security Council.
The step is the culmination of a series of stand-offs between the IAEA and Iran since Trump pulled the US out of a nuclear deal between Tehran and major powers in 2018 during his first term, after which that accord unraveled.
An IAEA official said Iran had responded to the 35-nation board's declaration by informing the UN watchdog that it plans to open a third uranium enrichment plant.
