President Donald Trump said Friday he was not happy with the progress of talks with Iran over a potential nuclear deal.
“I’m not happy with the fact that they’re not willing to give us what we have to have. I’m not thrilled with that. We’ll see what happens. We’ll have some additional talks today. But no, I’m not happy with the way they’re going,” the president told reporters before boarding Marine One, reiterating his warning that Iran cannot have nuclear weapons. “We’ll see how it goes.”
“We haven’t made a final decision,” he added. “We’re not thrilled with the way they’re negotiating.”
Trump’s comments outside the White House come as the State Department Friday morning authorized non-emergency personnel to leave the U.S. embassy in Israel, citing “safety risks.”
It also comes a day after U.S. representatives met with Iranian officials in Geneva for another round of negotiations as Trump continues to pressure Tehran to stand down its nuclear build up.
Asked if he’s concerned that striking Iran could lead to a drawn out conflict, Trump acknowledged the risk
“There’s always a risk. When there’s war, there’s a risk in anything, both good and bad. We’ve had tremendous luck with myself — Soleimani, al-Baghdadi,” he said, citing his first administration’s killings of Qassem Soleimani, commander of Iran’s Quds force, and Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, ISIS leader. “Everything’s worked out.”
The administration has a wide range of options, including limited strikes against Iranian nuclear and strategic targets to pressure Tehran over its nuclear program and ballistic missile development.
The administration has ordered a significant deployment of U.S. naval and air forces — including multiple carrier strike groups and fighter jets — to the Middle East in recent weeks.