Trump: Willing to ‘lead the pack’ in strike against Iran

If the negotiations on a deal to dismantle Tehran’s nuclear program fail, the United States will lead an attack against it, President Donald Trump said on Friday.

“It’s possible we’ll have to attack, because Iran will not have a nuclear weapon,” the president told Time magazine in an interview conducted last week and published on Friday, marking his first 100 days in office.

Asked by the interviewer whether Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu might drag the U.S. into war with the Islamic Republic, Trump said, “he may go into a war. But we’re not getting dragged in. … You asked if he’d drag me in, like I’d go in unwillingly. No, I may go in very willingly if we can’t get a deal. If we don’t make a deal, I’ll be leading the pack.”

Trump went on to dismiss reports that his administration stopped Israel from attacking Iran.

“I didn’t stop them. But I didn’t make it comfortable for them, because I think we can make a deal without the attack. I hope we can … Ultimately, I was going to leave [the choice to attack to Israel], but I said I would much prefer a deal than bombs being dropped.”

The president further remarked that he would be open to meeting Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, in person.

On the prospect of an Israeli-Saudi normalisation of ties, Trump said that Riyadh may very well join the four Arab countries that signed bilateral agreements with Jerusalem during his first term.

“I think Saudi Arabia will go into the Abraham Accords. … We had four countries in there, it was all set. We would have had it packed. Now we’re going to start it again,” he said, referring to the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Morocco and Sudan that normalized ties with the Jewish state in 2020.

Although Trump did not say when this diplomatic development might occur, he alluded to a time frame after his trip to the Middle East next month, where he is slated to visit Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the UAE.

Trump was also asked about his policy to deport foreign students participating in antisemitic campus protests.

“I agree with free speech, but not riots all over every college in America. Tremendous antisemitism going on in this country,” the president replied.

The students “can protest,” he continued, “but they can’t destroy the schools like they did with Columbia and others.”

On Thursday, U.S. State Department Spokeswoman Tammy Bruce said that talks on reviving a nuclear pact between Washington and Tehran “continue to be positive and constructive.”

Speaking to reporters, she said that “we’ve made good progress, and we have a long way to go,” reiterating that Iran obtaining a nuclear weapon is “the one bright line that has been feeding all of the activity.”

Talks are slated to resume in Oman on April 26 with the first meeting of technical teams. Bruce would not confirm if the Trump administration would be amenable to an interim agreement, as Tehran has suggested, or if Washington is opposed to a civilian nuclear program for Tehran.

Bruce confirmed reports that Michael Anton, the State Department’s director of policy planning, will lead the U.S. delegation. She announced that Steve Witkoff, the U.S. special envoy for the Middle East, will be present, although the State Department later said Witkoff’s travel for that part of the week had yet to be confirmed.

Meanwhile, Gen. Michael Erik Kurilla, commander of the United States Central Command (CENTCOM), arrived in Israel on Thursday for a brief visit.

Kurilla is highly respected by Defence Minister Israel Katz and senior commanders in the Israel Defence Forces.

The prevailing assumption is that his visit will centre on planning for a possible military strike on the Islamic Republic, as well as on countermeasures to defend against any Iranian response, should Trump decide to employ the military option.

Kurilla is known for his aggressive stance toward Iran and is considered a firm believer that a substantial blow can be dealt to its nuclear infrastructure.

JNS