President Donald Trump told reporters Wednesday that the Iranian government has requested a direct meeting with his administration and is even prepared to send a delegation to the White House.
Meanwhile, as Israel continues to target military and nuclear sites within Iran, it has been urging the U.S. to strike the Fordow Nuclear Enrichment Center. Israel lacks the bunker-buster bombs needed to destroy the facility, which is deeply embedded within a mountain, and has sought U.S. assistance for the operation. “The entire operation… really has to be completed with the elimination of Fordow,” Israeli Ambassador to the U.S. Yechiel Leiter told Fox News on Friday.
Trump was asked about that remark on Wednesday. “The destruction or the dismantling of the Fordow nuclear enrichment center, is that a prerequisite for a deal? Is that a red line for you?” a reporter inquired.
“No, it’s just something that people talk about having. We’re the only ones that have the capability to do it, but that doesn’t mean I’m going to do it at all,” the president responded. “Yeah, we have the best military equipment in the world. You see that with this fight. We have planes that are undetectable, flying around like, you know, nobody’s able to see him stealth.”
Emphasizing the capabilities of the U.S. military, Trump reiterated that he has not yet committed to a military strike. “So we’ll see what happens. I have not, I have not, I’ve been asked about it by everybody, but I haven’t made a decision.”
The statement comes just a day after the president adopted an aggressive stance against the Iranian regime, denying reports from Axios that he was seeking a meeting to de-escalate the conflict. “I have not reached out to Iran for ‘Peace Talks’ in any way, shape, or form. This is just more HIGHLY FABRICATED, FAKE NEWS!” the president posted on Truth Social.
“If they want to talk, they know how to reach me. They should have taken the deal that was on the table – Would have saved a lot of lives!!!” the post continued, which was followed up by a post demanding Iran’s “unconditional surrender.”
