President Donald Trump doubled down Wednesday on his threat that the United States could use military force against Iran if it refuses to accept a nuclear deal and end its nuclear weapon program.
Addressing reporters in the Oval Office at the White House on Wednesday, Trump emphasized that Iran “can’t have a nuclear weapon.”
On Monday, Trump announced that U.S. officials would be meeting with Iranian officials on Saturday to discuss a nuclear deal, according to USA Today. Trump warned that if the nuclear deal talks did not go well, “Iran is going to be in great danger.” Trump added, “Iran cannot have a nuclear weapon and if the talks aren’t successful, I actually think it will be a very bad day for Iran if that’s the case.”
Asked on Wednesday whether the United States could use “military action” against Iran if the Iranian government refused to accept a nuclear deal, Trump said, “Oh, if necessary? Absolutely.”
READ MORE: Trump threatens Iran with major ‘bombing’ if they refuse nuclear deal
In response to questions regarding the timeline for a potential nuclear deal with Iran, Trump said, “We have a little time, but we don’t have much time, because we’re not going to let them have a nuclear weapon. We can’t let them have a nuclear weapon.”
Trump told reporters on Wednesday that he wants Iran to “thrive” and to be “great.” However, he noted that the “only thing they can’t have is a nuclear weapon.” “I’m not asking for much,” the president added. “I just — I don’t — they can’t have a nuclear weapon.”
During his comments on Wednesday, Trump claimed that Iran was “broke” under his first administration but that he expected Iran to get a nuclear weapon under the Biden-Harris administration due to the differences in the administration’s policies.
Addressing his second administration’s efforts to prevent Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon, Trump told reporters, “If it requires military, we’re going to have military. Israel will, obviously, be very much involved in that. They’ll be the leader of that, but nobody leads us. We do what we want to do.”
Asked when negotiations with Iran would need to conclude, Trump told reporters, “I can’t really be specific. But when you start talks, you know if they’re going along well or not. And I would say the conclusion would be when I think they’re not going along well.”
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