Trump seeks leverage for nuclear talks after Israel strikes Iran
Experts say Israel’s attack on Iran may have closed the door on any possibility of a nuclear accord with the United States.
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump has warned Iran: agree to a nuclear deal with the United States before Israel’s strikes foreclose any chance for diplomacy.
But experts say it’s unlikely Iran will reconsider a nuclear deal it was deeply wary of even before Israel carried out what it has called a preemptive strike on Iran’s nuclear program and military capabilities. The overnight Israeli assault killed Iranian nuclear scientists and senior officials, including the head of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Hossein Salami and the commander in chief of the Iranian military, Mohammad Bagheri.
As the aerial attack continued Friday afternoon local time, Trump warned Iran that if they did not strike a nuclear deal with Washington, additional strikes "could be even more brutal."
“Iran must make a deal, before there is nothing left, and save what was once known as the Iranian Empire,” Trump wrote on Truth Social.
