Trump Claims Iran Has Pulled Back After Nearing Nuclear Agreement

(MENAFN) US President Donald Trump said Saturday that Tehran appeared close to a nuclear agreement before backing away, casting doubt on Iran’s willingness to finalize a deal.

Speaking to a news outlet, Trump said, “They got close and then pulled back — close and then pulled back,” adding that he “understood from that that they don’t really want a deal.”

Trump described his recent phone conversation with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as “great,” noting, “We’re on the same wavelength.”

Outlining potential military options against Iran, he stated, “I can go long and take over the whole thing, or end it in two or three days and tell the Iranians: ‘See you again in a few years if you start rebuilding (your nuclear and missile programs).’” He also suggested that it would take “several years” for Iran to recover from the latest round of strikes.

Trump accused Iran of reconstructing some nuclear facilities targeted during last June’s US-Israel strikes, referring to that operation as “Operation Midnight Hammer,” which he said set the stage for the current “Operation Epic Fury.”

The joint US-Israeli military action commenced early Saturday, citing alleged threats from the “Iranian regime.”

The attacks followed a recent round of US-Iran nuclear negotiations in Geneva that concluded Thursday, which both sides described as serious and constructive under Omani mediation.

Last June, the United States struck three Iranian nuclear sites amid a 12-day conflict initiated by Israel against Iran.

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