President Donald Trump gave a short but ominous answer on Thursday after a reporter asked him to respond to Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s refusal to acquiesce to Israeli and U.S. demands that he end Iran’s nuclear program.
“What do you say to the supreme leader of Iran, who says that they will not surrender?” a reporter asked. “I say good luck,” the president replied.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt provided a major update on Thursday regarding the ongoing conflict between Iran and Israel.
During a press briefing, Leavitt revealed that Trump has not made a final decision on using “bunker buster” bombs on Iran’s Fordow facility and will wait roughly “two weeks” to leave room to negotiate.
“I have a message directly from the president, and I quote: ‘On the fact that there’s a substantial chance of negotiations that may or may not take place with Iran in the near future, I will make my decision whether or not to go within the next two weeks,’” Leavitt said.
Trump told reporters Wednesday that the Iranian government has requested a direct meeting with his administration and is prepared to send a delegation to the White House.
Meanwhile, as Israel continues targeting military and nuclear sites within Iran, it has urged the U.S. to strike the Fordow Nuclear Enrichment Center. Lacking the bunker-buster bombs necessary to destroy the facility, which is deeply embedded inside a mountain, Israel has sought assistance from the United States.
“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.
“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 asked the president in the Oval Office.
“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 [in] stealth.”
After continuing to praise U.S. military prowess, Trump added: “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.”
“Look, they should have made the deal. I had a great deal for them. They should have made that deal. 60 days, we talked about it, and in the end, they decided not to do it, and now they wish they did it,” Trump told reporters.
“And they want to meet, but it’s, you know, it’s a little late to meet, but they want to meet, and they want to come to the White House. They’ll even come to the White House. So we’ll see,” he said.
The statement follows the president’s remarks against the Iranian regime, where he refuted Axios reports claiming he wanted 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 added, which was followed up by another post demanding Iran’s “unconditional surrender.”
