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

Trump also said that Riyadh may join the four Arab countries that signed bilateral agreements with Jerusalem during his first term.

By JNS

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 normalization 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.”

Meanwhile, the American and Iranian envoys to Oman concluded on Saturday the third round of nuclear talks on a positive note, agreeing to meet again on May 3, Omani Foreign Minister Badr al-Busaidi said in a post on X.

Negotiations “identified a shared aspiration to reach agreement based on mutual respect and enduring commitments,” the minister wrote.

“Core principles, objectives and technical concerns were all addressed. Talks will continue next week with a further high level meeting provisionally scheduled for May 3rd,” al-Busaidi wrote, without describing the discussions in detail.

According to AP, al-Busaidi mediated the two previous rounds of talks in Muscat, the Omani capital, and Rome.

Negotiations are being led by U.S. Special Envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff and Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi.

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 Defense Minister Israel Katz and senior commanders in the Israel Defense Forces.

The prevailing assumption is that his visit will center 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.