During a meeting at the White House with Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele, Trump said: “They can’t have a nuclear weapon, and they got to go fast, because they’re fairly close to having one, and they’re not going to have one.
“And if we have to do something very harsh, we’ll do it. And I’m not doing it for us.
“I’m doing it for the world, and these are radicalised people, and they cannot have a nuclear weapon.”
When questioned by a reporter if this included an attack on Iran’s nuclear facilities, Trump affirmed, “Of course it does.”
The U.S. government and other Western states as well as Israel aim to prevent Iran from developing nuclear weapons.
During his first term in office in 2018, Trump unilaterally withdrew from the Vienna nuclear deal, which was designed to limit Iran’s nuclear programme and lift sanctions in return.
Following this, Tehran also ceased adhering to the agreement’s stipulations.
Last Saturday, the U.S. and Iran resumed talks about a possible new nuclear agreement after years of deadlock, with Oman acting as a mediator.
The next round of talks is expected to hold on Saturday in Rome.
Trump confirmed the scheduled date and expressed confidence in resolving the issue with Iran, describing it as “almost an easy” problem.
Earlier Monday, the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Rafael Grossi announced that he would travel to Tehran this week ahead of the next round of nuclear talks.
According to Iranian media reports, Grossi is expected in Tehran on Wednesday.
“Continued engagement and cooperation with the agency is essential at a time when diplomatic solutions are urgently needed,” Grossi wrote on X on Monday.
Tehran’s lack of cooperation with IAEA inspectors is a main cause of the growing tensions surrounding Iran’s nuclear programme, along with its production of near weapons-grade uranium. (dpa/NAN
