NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!
President Donald Trump said that he thinks Israel’s strike on Iran probably improved the chances that a U.S.-Iran nuclear deal will come to fruition, according to Axios.
After an Axios reporter asked Trump whether he thought Israel’s strike jeopardized the administration’s efforts to strike a deal with Iran, the president reportedly responded: “I don’t think so. Maybe the opposite. Maybe now they will negotiate seriously.”
The president has urged Iran to make a deal “before there is nothing left,” after Israeli Defense Forces began bombing the country’s nuclear facilities and ballistic missile sites.
ISRAEL LAUNCHES SWEEPING STRIKE ON IRAN WHILE TRUMP ADMINISTRATION SEEKS DIPLOMATIC SOLUTION
Trump juxtaposed next to a picture of Iran’s Ayatollah Khamenei examining Iranian centrifuges. (Reuters)
“I couldn’t get them to a deal in 60 days. They were close, they should have done it. Maybe now it will happen,” Trump added in his comments to the Axios reporter.
Trump withdrew the United States from the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) nuclear agreement during his first term. The agreement restricted Iran’s development of nuclear weapons, but in exchange the United states and other countries agreed to ease sanctions against Iran’s economy.
During former President Joe Biden’s tenure, the U.S. sought to return to the JCPOA but after years of talks nothing came to fruition.
The U.S. and Iran have completed several rounds of indirect negotiations regarding Iran’s nuclear program, but an agreement has not yet been reached.
HOW CLOSE WAS IRAN TO A NUCLEAR WEAPON BEFORE ISRAEL’S STRIKE ON TEHRAN?
Trump has signaled that a deal with Iran is among his top priorities, but has repeatedly said that the country will not be allowed to have a nuclear weapon.
Meanwhile, Iran has said the United States has not respected its right to enrich uranium for non-violent, citizen purposes. Media reports have suggested that Trump has signaled an openness to letting Iran continue to enrich uranium for civilian purposes.
A picture taken on November 10, 2019, shows an Iranian flag in Iran’s Bushehr nuclear power plant. (ATTA KENARE/AFP via Getty Images)
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
Further nuclear talks between the two powers were scheduled to occur Sunday, but, following Israel’s attacks, Iran has said it no longer plans to participate in the talks.
Iranian state media reported that Iran has announced it will be suspending its involvement in the negotiations “until further notice.”
Fox News Digital has reached out to the White House for further comment.
