US President Donald Trump stops to speak to the media as he exits Marine One on the South Lawn of the White House on February 27, 2026 in Washington, DC.
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“I would prefer not to use the U.S. military to attack Iran,” President Donald Trump said Friday, “but sometimes you have to.”
“But we have not made a final decision about attacking Iran,” Trump said.
“We will see what happens,” he said. “We’re talking later today. We’ll have some additional talks today.”
Trump made the remarks to reporters outside the White House after expressing frustration over Iran’s refusal to comply with US demands to curb its nuclear program.
“We’re not thrilled with the way they’re negotiating,” Trump said. “They can’t have nuclear weapons.”
“I’m not happy that they’re not willing to give us what we want,” Trump said, referring to that situation.
Asked by a reporter if there could be a long, protracted conflict in the Middle East if the United States attacked Iran, Trump said, “You can say there’s always a risk.”
“It would be great if they actually negotiate in good conscience, in good faith,” he said. “They’re not getting there yet.”
The US Embassy in Jerusalem earlier on Friday authorized emergency US government personnel and their family members to leave Israel “due to security risks”.
On Friday, the huge American aircraft carrier USS Gerald Ford reached the coast of Israel.
Earlier on Friday, MS Now reported that Omani Foreign Minister Badr al-Busaidi plans to meet with Vice President JD Vance and other American officials in Washington, DC “in an effort to prevent war with Iran.” Al-Busaidi has been mediating talks between the US and Iran, but Thursday’s talks ended without an agreement.
On Friday, Secretary of State Marco Rubio will visit Israel on Monday and Tuesday to discuss Iran and other regional issues, the State Department said.
(tags to translate) Breaking News: Politics
