President Donald Trump said Monday the United States is engaged in “very deep talks” with Iran but warned Washington is prepared to resume “very strong military action” if diplomacy fails, saying he agreed to pause plans to expand the U.S. military campaign to give negotiations another opportunity.
Trump told Axios in an interview published earlier Monday that he agreed to hold off on additional military action after mediators involved in the negotiations urged him to give diplomacy another chance amid ongoing regional efforts to broker a diplomatic breakthrough.
“We are in very deep talks with Iran,” Trump said. “If they don’t work out, we will go back to very strong military action.”
The president indicated he has little patience for a prolonged negotiating process, saying any diplomatic breakthrough will have to come quickly.
Asked how much time he is willing to give diplomacy before returning to military action, Trump replied: “Not much time. Either it goes fast or not at all.”
Trump said he agreed to pause the military campaign after mediators urged him to give diplomacy another chance.
“All of the people that deal with Iran asked me: ‘Don’t fire,’” Trump said, adding that he believes Tehran is now serious about reaching an agreement.
Trump said there was little downside to giving diplomacy another opportunity.
“Nothing gained, nothing lost,” Trump said.
Trump expanded on those comments later Monday aboard Air Force One while traveling to Michigan, arguing Iran only agreed to negotiate because of the damage inflicted during the recent U.S. military campaign.
“Without what we did, they wouldn’t even be talking to us,” Trump said.
“They requested a meeting through their surrogates and directly,” he continued. “And we’re meeting.”
“They want to meet, and we’re meeting. We’ll see what happens. There’s a chance we can make a deal,” Trump said.
“We’re having good talks, so we’ll see what happens. I think there’s a good chance something could happen. And if it doesn’t, we go back to doing what we were doing two days ago.”
Trump said Iranian officials pleaded with the United States to halt further strikes, saying Tehran’s appeals reflected the pressure created by the military campaign.
“Their people said, ‘Please don’t drop, don’t shoot,’” Trump said.
Asked about recent reports suggesting U.S. weapons stockpiles have been depleted following support for Ukraine, Trump rejected the premise outright, saying the administration is rapidly replenishing supplies.
“We have plenty. We have a lot of ammunition,” Trump said.
“When I left, the cupboards were full,” Trump said. “We’re building it very rapidly. Plants are being built, the Patriots in particular.”
Trump also suggested Iranian assets under U.S. control could ultimately be used to help pay for damages caused by Tehran’s attacks.
“We’re going to use Iran’s money to pay for the damage they did,” Trump said.
Trump’s remarks came a day before he is scheduled to host Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the White House, where Iran is expected to be a central topic of discussion. Trump described the two leaders as largely aligned despite occasional differences.
“We have a little difference, but pretty close,” Trump said, calling Netanyahu a “wartime prime minister.”
Trump argued the U.S. military campaign prevented Iran from acquiring a nuclear weapon and fundamentally strengthened Israel’s security position.
“I am going to talk to Bibi about the fact that if I weren’t president, Iran would have had nuclear weapons by now and Israel would have been destroyed,” Trump said.
Before departing for Washington, Netanyahu said Iran would top the agenda during his White House meeting with Trump while also expressing hope the talks would help expand the circle of peace in the region.
“I will discuss all current issues with President Trump, foremost among them being Iran,” Netanyahu said before departing Israel. “Our goal is to safeguard our security and also to expand the circle of peace around us.”
Joshua Klein is a reporter for Breitbart News. Email him at jklein@breitbart.com. Follow him on Twitter @JoshuaKlein.