Home World Trump warns a strike on Iran 'could very well happen' if no...

Trump warns a strike on Iran ‘could very well happen’ if no nuclear deal is signed

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian (second right) listens to the director of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran, Mohammad Eslami, as he visits an exhibition of Iran's nuclear achievements in Tehran, Iran, April 9.

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian (second right) listens to the director of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran, Mohammad Eslami, as he visits an exhibition of Iran’s nuclear achievements in Tehran, Iran, April 9. Iranian Presidency Office/AP hide caption

toggle caption

Iranian Presidency Office/AP

President Trump warned Thursday that a “massive conflict” could break out in the Middle East over the issue of Iran’s nuclear program but said he wants a diplomatic resolution, after the United Nations’ nuclear watchdog found that Tehran had failed to comply with its nonproliferation obligations for the first time in two decades.

Trump has said recently that he has held Israel back from attacking Iran’s nuclear processing facilities, and threatened that if the current talks between the United States and Iran don’t curb the latter’s ability to enrich uranium, then military strikes are an option.

Sponsor Message

Asked if such strikes could be imminent, Trump told reporters, “Well, I don’t want to say imminent, but it looks like it’s something that could very well happen.”

“Look, it’s very simple, not complicated,” Trump said. “Iran cannot have a nuclear weapon. Other than that, I want them to be successful. I want them to be tremendous. We’ll help them be successful. We’ll trade with them. We’ll do whatever is necessary.”

He later wrote on social media, “We remain committed to a Diplomatic Resolution to the Iran Nuclear Issue!”

In a separate meeting with media, Trump explained why the State Department had begun to evacuate staff from its embassy in Baghdad, while the military has evacuated personnel not deemed essential from U.S. military bases in the Middle East. The U.S. has bases in the Persian Gulf that Tehran could target in the event of an attack.

“Look, there’s a chance of massive conflict,” Trump said. “We have a lot of American people in this area, and I said we got to tell them to get out, because something could happen soon. And I don’t want to be the one that didn’t give any warning and missiles are flying into their buildings. It’s possible. So I had to do it.”

Hours earlier, the International Atomic Energy Agency, which is based in Vienna and monitors Iran’s nuclear program, concluded that Iran was not in compliance with its obligations to report all activities in its nuclear facilities. The U.N. watchdog said in a resolution that Tehran “did not declare nuclear material and nuclear-related activities at three undeclared locations in Iran,” so the agency could not determine “whether the nuclear material at these undeclared locations in Iran has been consumed, mixed with other declared material, or is still outside of Safeguards.”

Sponsor Message

Iran’s response was defiant. Its Foreign Ministry condemned the resolution as “highly political” and announced it was “launching a new enrichment facility in a secure location,” which it did not disclose.

The flurry of announcements caused a spike in regional tensions and came as Trump’s Middle East envoy, Steve Witkoff, prepares for a sixth round of talks with an Iranian delegation in Oman on Sunday. Oman and Witkoff’s office both said the talks were still on track. The different negotiating teams have reported some progress in the talks, but the question of whether Iran should be allowed to enrich some uranium for civilian purposes, such as power plants, has become a sticking point. Iran insists on its right to process the material to a lower grade than is needed to build a weapon, but Trump has said on his social media site that he “will not allow any enrichment of uranium.”

Israel has insisted Iran’s entire nuclear infrastructure needs to be dismantled before it’s able to build a bomb, which Israel deems an existential threat in the hands of its arch foe.

Israeli Foreign Ministry spokesman Oren Marmorstein said on Thursday that “Iran has engaged in a systematic clandestine nuclear weapons program. It is rapidly accumulating highly enriched uranium, clearly proving the nature of the program is for non-peaceful purposes.”

He added that “the international community must respond decisively to Iran’s non-compliance and take measures to prevent Iran from developing nuclear weapons.”

“It’s a white-knuckled wait until the sixth round of talks in Oman,” Holly Dagres, an Iran expert at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy, said in a statement.

She explained that Tehran hasn’t formally rejected the U.S. proposal but the Iranian supreme leader has expressed his opposition in a recent speech.

“It’s unclear how much patience Trump has for the Iranians, who are known to be masterful time-wasters,” she added. “That said, Trump remains wary of being dragged into a ‘forever war,’ and U.S.-led strikes on nuclear facilities would not sit well with his isolationist base.”

LEAVE A REPLY

Please enter your comment!
Please enter your name here

Must Read

Trump is in Scotland. The Epstein questions have followed him there

President Trump speaks to reporters at Glasgow Prestwick Airport on July 25, 2025 in Prestwick, Scotland. Andrew Harnik/Getty Images Europe hide caption toggle caption Andrew Harnik/Getty Images Europe GLASGOW, Scotland — President Trump landed in Scotland on Friday for a four-day trip expected to include a mix of personal time and diplomacy. Trump will spend

4 things to know about Gaza right now amid warnings of ‘mass starvation’ risk

Hidaya, a 31-year-old Palestinian mother, carries her sick 18-month-old son, Mohammed al-Mutawaq, who is displaying signs of malnutrition, inside their tent at the Al-Shati refugee camp, west of Gaza City, on July 24. Omar Al-Qattaa/AFP via Getty Images hide caption toggle caption Omar Al-Qattaa/AFP via Getty Images Hunger and disease continue to stalk Palestinians in

French President Macron says France will recognize Palestine as a state

French President Emmanuel Macron speaks to the army leaders at the Hotel le Brienne on July 13. Ludovic Marin/Pool AFP hide caption toggle caption Ludovic Marin/Pool AFP PARIS — French President Emmanuel Macron announced Thursday that France will recognize Palestine as a state, in a bold diplomatic move amid snowballing global anger over people starving

Ranchers in Mexico are struggling against a flesh-eating parasite infecting livestock

Alfredo Chavez, a cattle rancher and livestock technician, shows New World screwworm larvae removed from a cow at his ranch in Cintalapa, Chiapas, Mexico, on July 23, 2025, amid an infestation that led the U.S. to suspend cattle imports over fears the pest could reach the border. Isabel Mateos/AP hide caption toggle caption Isabel Mateos/AP

U.S. cuts short Gaza ceasefire talks and accuses Hamas of lacking ‘good faith’

Displaced Palestinians receive donated food at a community kitchen in Gaza City, northern Gaza Strip on Tuesday. Jehad Alshrafi/AP hide caption toggle caption Jehad Alshrafi/AP WASHINGTON — The United States is cutting short Gaza ceasefire talks and bringing its negotiating team home from Qatar to discuss next steps after Hamas' latest response "shows a lack