Trump Discusses Diplomacy with Iran
On Monday, President Trump revealed that the U.S. is engaged in “very deep talks” with Iran. However, he also cautioned that if these diplomatic efforts don’t succeed, the U.S. stands ready to initiate “very strong military action.” He mentioned that he had decided to pause plans to expand military operations in order to allow for further negotiations.
In an interview with Axios, Trump explained that as diplomatic efforts are underway, he agreed to halt any military actions after mediators requested that he give diplomacy another chance. He noted, “We are in very deep talks with Iran,” emphasizing that actions would revert to military strength if negotiations fall through.
Though he expressed a desire for resolution, Trump indicated impatience with lengthy negotiations, insisting that a breakthrough must happen quickly. When asked how long he would allow diplomacy to unfold before resorting to military responses, he replied, “We don’t have much time. It’s either go fast or it’s not going at all.”
Trump shared that people doing business with Iran had urged him not to take military action, suggesting he believed the Iranian government was serious about reaching an agreement. He noted that, in his view, there were minimal downsides to giving diplomacy another shot—”Nothing was gained, nothing was lost,” he remarked.
Later, while aboard Air Force One traveling to Michigan, Trump elaborated that Iran’s willingness to negotiate stemmed from the impacts of recent U.S. military operations. He stated, “If it wasn’t for our actions, they wouldn’t even be talking to us,” revealing that Iran had initiated a request to meet both through representatives and in person.
“They want to meet, and we are meeting. We’ll see what happens,” he said, expressing a cautious optimism that an agreement might be reached. If no agreement materializes, he indicated that the U.S. would revert to prior actions. Trump claimed Iranian officials were imploring the U.S. to avoid further attacks, reflecting the pressure their military operations had created.
In response to concerns about potential depletion of U.S. weapon supplies due to aid to Ukraine, Trump strongly denied such claims, asserting that the U.S. is quickly replenishing its stocks. “We have enough. We have plenty of ammunition,” he stated, adding, “When I left, the cupboards were full.” He also pointed out that factories are being developed to enhance production capabilities.
Trump suggested that Iranian assets currently under U.S. control could eventually be used to compensate for damages caused by Iranian attacks, asserting, “We’re going to use Iranian funds to pay for the damage they’ve done.” His comments came shortly before he is set to welcome Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to the White House, with discussions about Iran anticipated to dominate their meeting. Trump mentioned that while there may be occasional disagreements, he has a solid working relationship with Netanyahu.
He referred to Netanyahu as a “wartime prime minister,” noting their overall alignment despite some differences. Trump claimed that U.S. military operations have played a critical role in preventing Iran from acquiring nuclear capabilities and in bolstering Israel’s security. “If I wasn’t president, Iran would have nuclear weapons by now and Israel would be destroyed,” he asserted.
Before his visit to Washington, Netanyahu expressed that Iran would be a primary topic during his meeting with Trump and expressed hope that their discussions might foster broader peace initiatives in the region. “Our goal is to keep us safe and spread a circle of peace around us,” he stated.
