Donald Trump Says He ‘May Go in Very Willingly’ Into War With Iran If…

In an interview with The Time Magazine, Trump was asked if he is “worried” that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu “will drag you into a war” with Iran.

Trump responded, “He may go into a war. But we’re not getting dragged in.”

The US President was then asked: Will the US stay out of it if Israel goes into it?

“No, I didn’t say that. 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 also answered in the interview if he “stopped Israel from attacking Iran’s nuclear sites.” The New York Times reported last week that Trump had dissuaded Israel from attacking Iranian nuclear sites in the short term.

“That’s not right,” he said, adding that, “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. It’s possible we’ll have to attack because Iran will not have a nuclear weapon. But I didn’t make it comfortable for them, but I didn’t say no. Ultimately, I was going to leave that choice to them, but I said I would much prefer a deal than bombs being dropped,” Trump was quoted by the Times as saying.

The US president — in the interview conducted April 22 and published Friday — nonetheless, expressed hope that such a deal could be reached, while also saying he was open to meeting Iran’s supreme leader or president face-to-face.

US’ deal with Iran
Trump’s renewed threat comes as Washington and Tehran continue talks over the clerical state’s nuclear program, with a third round slated for Saturday in Oman

The US and Iran launched talks this month on Tehran’s nuclear program, first in Oman and then in Rome, and these discussions are due to resume this week.

The Associated Press reported that negotiations between Iran and the US will return on Saturday to the secluded sultanate of Oman, where experts on both sides will start hammering out the technical details of a possible deal.

The talks seek to limit Iran’s nuclear program in exchange for the lifting of some of the crushing economic sanctions the US has imposed on the Islamic Republic closing in on half a century of enmity.

US President Donald Trump has repeatedly threatened to unleash airstrikes targeting Iran’s program if a deal isn’t reached.

Iranian officials increasingly warn that they could pursue a nuclear weapon with their stockpile of uranium enriched to near weapons-grade levels.

Oman has been a mediator between Tehran and Washington.

Amid these negotiations, Israel’s Netanyahu warned that even if Washington continued talks with Iran, Israel would never allow it to develop a nuclear weapon.

The nuclear deal
In 2018, Donald Trump withdrew the US from a landmark nuclear deal signed three years earlier that eased sanctions on Iran in return for curbs on its nuclear program.

A year later, Iran began to gradually breach the terms of the deal, most notably by enriching uranium to high levels.

According to the International Atomic Energy Agency, Tehran has enriched uranium to 60 percent, close to the 90 percent level needed to manufacture weapons, and continues to accumulate large stocks of fissile material.

The 2015 nuclear deal restricted it to 3.67 percent.