Donald Trump said he is ‘not happy’ with Iran nuclear negotiations after inconclusive Geneva talks, but indicated he would give diplomats more time to reach a deal to avert Middle East conflict
US President Donald Trump declared he is “not happy” with the latest discussions over Iran’s nuclear programme. But he suggested he would allow negotiators additional time to secure a deal to prevent another conflict in the Middle East.
He made the remarks a day after US representatives held another fruitless round of indirect discussions with Iran in Geneva. With American forces assembling in the region, Mr Trump has warned of military intervention if Iran fails to agree to a comprehensive deal on its nuclear programme, whilst Iran maintains it has the right to enrich uranium for peaceful purposes and refutes seeking a nuclear weapon.
“I’m not happy with the fact that they’re not willing to give us what we have to have,” Mr Trump told journalists as he departed the White House on Friday.
“I’m not thrilled with that. We’ll see what happens. We’re talking later. We’re not exactly happy with the way they’re negotiating. They cannot have nuclear weapons.”
Mr Trump was questioned about the dangers of the US becoming embroiled in a protracted conflict if it attacks Iran.
“I guess you could say there’s always a risk,” Mr Trump responded. You know, when there’s war, there’s a risk of anything, both good and bad.”
Later on Friday whilst visiting Texas, Mr Trump appeared more pessimistic, telling journalists that Iranian negotiators: “Don’t want to quite go far enough. It’s too bad.”
He repeated that he did not wish to see Iran be permitted to enrich any amount of uranium and stated the oil-rich nation should not need to enrich uranium for an energy programme. When quizzed by a journalist about how near he was to deciding whether to launch a military strike, he replied: “I’d rather not tell you.”
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio is planning to make a swift trip to Israel early next week, the State Department announced.
The US embassy in Israel had previously advised staff wishing to leave to depart, alongside other nations in urging people to evacuate the region and suggesting that US military action could be imminent.
The announcement of Mr Rubio’s visit, and Mr Trump’s latest comments, might suggest a more extended timeframe for any potential strike.
The State Department revealed Mr Rubio would visit Israel on Monday and Tuesday to “discuss a range of regional priorities including Iran, Lebanon, and ongoing efforts to implement President Trump’s 20-Point Peace Plan for Gaza”.
It provided no further details.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has consistently called for stronger US action against Iran, and has cautioned that Israel will retaliate to any Iranian attack.
Prior to his journey, Mr Rubio branded Iran a “state sponsor of wrongful detention” and indicated the State Department might invalidate US passports for travel to Iran.
He stated the measure was due to the country’s continued arrests and imprisonment of “innocent Americans” and citizens of other nations for use as political leverage. The action doesn’t automatically impose any sanctions, but Mr Rubio warned that should Iran fail to comply, he could make it unlawful to use a US passport for journeys to or from Iran.
Such a restriction presently only applies to North Korea. Meanwhile, a confidential report from the UN nuclear watchdog confirmed that Iran has refused to grant inspectors access to sensitive nuclear facilities since they were extensively bombed during the 12-day conflict initiated by Israel last June.
Consequently, it stated it was unable to verify Iran’s assertions that it halted uranium enrichment following the US and Israeli attacks.
The document was distributed to member nations and obtained by The Associated Press.
Mr Rubio’s visit was announced mere hours after the US embassy in Jerusalem introduced “authorised departure” status for non-essential staff and family members, meaning eligible personnel can voluntarily leave the country at government cost.
In an email, US ambassador Mike Huckabee encouraged staff contemplating departure to act swiftly, advising them to prioritise securing any available flight out of Israel before making their way to Washington.
“Those wishing to take AD should do so TODAY,” Mr Huckabee wrote, using an acronym for “authorised departure”.
“Whilst there may be outbound flights over the coming days, there may not be,” he added.
The email was relayed to The Associated Press by someone connected with the US mission who was not authorised to share details. During a town-hall meeting on Friday following the email dispatch, Mr Huckabee informed staff that he was urging airlines to continue their operations.
Iran and the United States concluded another round of nuclear talks in Geneva on Thursday without reaching an agreement.
Technical discussions are set to occur in Vienna next week.
On Thursday, Iranian foreign minister Abbas Araghchi stated “what needs to happen has been clearly spelled out from our side”, without providing further details.
Iran has consistently called for relief from severe international sanctions in exchange for agreeing to limit, but not completely halt, its nuclear programme.
Oman’s foreign minister Badr al-Busaidi, who has been acting as a mediator in the talks, met with US vice president JD Vance on Friday to discuss the negotiations.
“I am grateful for their engagement and look forward to further and decisive progress in the coming days,” Mr al-Busaidi posted on X.
“Peace is within our reach.”
Meanwhile, Rafael Grossi, head of the International Atomic Energy Agency, met with Christopher Yeaw, a US arms control official.
Mr Grossi posted on X that the two men had a “timely exchange on current non-proliferation issues, including in Iran and other areas of common interest”.
The UN chief encouraged Iran and the US “to focus on the diplomatic track”.
“We’re seeing both positive messages coming out of the diplomatic tracks, which we’re continuing to encourage,” said UN secretary-general Antonio Guterres, according to his spokesman Stephane Dujarric.
“We’re also seeing very worrying military movements throughout the region, which is extremely concerning as well.”