US Will ‘Lead The Pack’: Trump Warns Of ‘Attack’ On Iran If Nuclear Negotiations Fail

<p>United States President Donald Trump has said the US will &ldquo;lead the pack&rdquo; in attacking Iran if ongoing negotiations over Tehran&rsquo;s nuclear programme fail to yield a new agreement. Trump&rsquo;s remarks came during an interview with Time Magazine, conducted on 22 April and published on Friday.&nbsp;The US President expressed hope that a deal could still be reached but made it clear he was prepared for military action if Iran developed nuclear weapons.</p>
<p>&ldquo;It&rsquo;s possible we&rsquo;ll have to attack because Iran will not have a nuclear weapon,&rdquo; Trump told Time, stressing his readiness to act if diplomacy collapses.</p>
<p>The third round of nuclear talks between Washington and Tehran is scheduled to take place on Saturday in Oman. While both parties had earlier conveyed optimism following their last round in Rome, they did not disclose specific details of the discussions.</p>
<p>Iran&rsquo;s regional rival, Israel, has not been included in the ongoing negotiations. However, Trump noted after a call with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that &ldquo;we are on the same side of every issue.&rdquo;</p>
<p>When asked by Time about reports suggesting he had blocked Israel from launching a unilateral strike on Iran, Trump denied the claim.</p>
<p>&ldquo;That&rsquo;s not right,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;I didn&rsquo;t stop them. But I didn&rsquo;t make it comfortable for them, because I think we can make a deal without the attack.&rdquo;</p>
<p>&ldquo;Ultimately I was going to leave that choice to them, but I said I would much prefer a deal than bombs being dropped,&rdquo; he added.</p>
<p>Responding to concerns about being pulled into a potential conflict initiated by Netanyahu, Trump told The Time, &ldquo;He may go into a war. But we&rsquo;re not getting dragged in.&rdquo;</p>
<p>However, Trump added that he &ldquo;may go in very willingly if we can&rsquo;t get a deal,&rdquo; reiterating his stance: &ldquo;If we don&rsquo;t make a deal, I&rsquo;ll be leading the pack.&rdquo;</p>
<h3><strong>Trump Exited Nuclear Agreement With Iran In 2018</strong></h3>
<p>In 2018, Trump had unilaterally exited a landmark nuclear agreement with Iran that had been negotiated under former US President Barack Obama, subsequently reinstating sweeping sanctions on Tehran.</p>
<p>Western powers and Israel &mdash; which is widely believed to be the only nuclear-armed country in the Middle East &mdash; have long accused Iran of pursuing nuclear weapons. Iran, however, has consistently denied the allegations, asserting that its nuclear programme is solely for civilian purposes.</p>
<p>Asked whether he would be open to meeting Iran&rsquo;s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei or newly elected President Masoud Pezeshkian, Trump replied: &ldquo;Sure.&rdquo;</p>