President Donald Trump said he believes Israel’s strike on Iran may have actually increased the likelihood of a U.S.-Iran nuclear agreement, according to Axios.
When asked by an Axios reporter whether the attack might undermine his administration’s negotiations with Tehran, Trump reportedly replied, “I don’t think so. Maybe the opposite. Maybe now they will negotiate seriously.” The president has continued to press Iran to reach a deal “before there is nothing left,” following Israeli airstrikes targeting the country’s nuclear and ballistic missile facilities.
“I couldn’t get them to a deal in 60 days. They were close. They should have done it. Maybe now it will happen,” Trump added in his comments to the Axios reporter. During his first term, Trump withdrew the United States from the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), the nuclear agreement that supposedly limited Iran’s ability to develop nuclear weapons in exchange for sanctions relief from the U.S. and other world powers after Tehran was repeatedly caught cheating.
Under former President Joe Biden, the U.S. attempted to rejoin the JCPOA, but despite years of negotiations, no new agreement was reached. Trump has indicated that negotiating a deal with Iran is one of his top priorities, but he has consistently stated that the country will not be permitted to possess a nuclear weapon, Fox News reported.
Iran has stated that the U.S. has not respected its right to enrich uranium for peaceful purposes for its citizens. Media reports indicate that Trump has shown some openness to allowing Iran to continue enriching uranium for civilian use.
Further nuclear negotiations between the U.S. and Iran had been scheduled for Sunday, but following Israel’s recent strikes, Iran announced it will no longer participate. According to Iranian state media, the government has declared it is suspending its involvement in the talks “until further notice.”
Iran has since struck back at Iran, with a number of missiles getting through Israel’s Iron Dome defense system, though reports said most of the Iranian projectiles were intercepted. Fox reported separately that there were injuries in Tel Aviv, where the Iranian missile barrage targeted.