President Donald Trump said Iran must either reach an agreement with the United States or "we will end it," as Qatari-mediated talks with Tehran continue. Trump spoke by phone with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu about Iran on Saturday, The Wall Street Journal reported, and Israel is getting ready in case fighting resumes.
A senior Israeli official said Saturday evening that Israel is preparing for renewed fighting that could begin right after Tuesday's US midterm elections. "It looks like we're heading toward war rather than an agreement," the official said.
Speaking to reporters at a Halloween party at his Mar-a-Lago estate on Saturday night, Trump said Tehran wanted a deal but questioned whether it could be trusted, Arutz Sheva reported. He repeated that Iran would not be allowed to obtain nuclear weapons. "Iran will never have a nuclear weapon. They want to make a deal; we'll find out about that," he said.
On the state of the negotiations, Trump voiced doubt that Iran would keep its word. "They're going fine, but they're not very reliable. They make a deal and then they back out," he said.
He added that Washington was in no rush to conclude the talks, citing the damage already inflicted on Iran's military. "We're not in very much of a hurry from the standpoint that we've knocked out their navy. We've knocked out their air force," Trump said. The US, he said, still had to handle "one or two sites, but we can do that in ten minutes. You probably have to look at Pickaxe Mountain."
Trump refused to say whether new military operations were under consideration. Pressed by a New York Times reporter on whether a return to war could come as soon as this week, he replied: "Why would you ask such a stupid question? Let's say I did - would I tell you? I can't tell you things like that." The administration is continuing to evaluate possible military action.
