Trump: Israel ‘could’ strike Iran amid Mideast evacuations, nuclear talks

Amid ongoing U.S. pressure on Iran regarding a nuclear agreement and preparations for evacuations from the Middle East, President Trump stated on Thursday that an Israeli attack on Iran was not necessarily imminent but “could happen.”

“I wouldn’t call it imminent, but it seems like a possibility,” Trump said. “The situation is straightforward: Iran cannot possess nuclear weapons.”

He added, “Beyond that, I want them to prosper. We will assist them in their success, engage in trade, and take whatever steps are necessary.”

Trump stated he would “love to avoid the conflict,” but Iran would need to negotiate with a “little bit tougher” attitude.

He elaborated that Iran would need to concede on certain points they were currently unwilling to, seemingly referring to their refusal to relinquish nuclear enrichment capabilities.

The President stated that the U.S. and Iran were “fairly close to a pretty good agreement” but insisted that “It’s got to be better than pretty good though.”

On Wednesday, Trump told reporters that the U.S. had advised some evacuation efforts in the Middle East due to a potentially “dangerous” security situation with Tehran amid uncertain nuclear negotiations.

“They are being moved out because it could be a dangerous place,” Trump said. “We’ve given notice to move out, and we’ll see what happens.”

These comments followed the U.S. embassy in Iraq ordering a partial evacuation of non-emergency government personnel, and military dependents being authorized to leave locations around the .

Initial reports indicated similar orders in Bahrain and Kuwait, but the U.S. embassy in Kuwait has not posted any notices, and the embassy in Bahrain has denied the reports, stating that its “posture has changed in any way are false” and staffing operations remain “unchanged and activities continue as normal.”

Embassies near Iran have been instructed to convene emergency action committees and report their risk-mitigation plans to Washington D.C.

Currently, no U.S. troops have been withdrawn from the Middle East.

The State Department has not yet responded to Digital’s inquiries regarding why Iraq was deemed particularly dangerous, while similar notices have not been issued in other neighboring countries.

Reports indicate that Bahrain hosts the largest number of military families. Although no embassy or military changes have been made, Trump stated on Thursday, “We have a lot of American people in this area. And I said, we got to tell them to get out because something could happen soon, and I don’t want to be the one that didn’t give any warning and missiles are flying into their buildings.”

“It’s possible. So I had to do it,” he added.

When asked this week how the U.S. can de-escalate the security situation in the region, Trump did not provide a direct answer but stated, “They can’t have a . Very simply, they can’t have a nuclear weapon. We’re not going to allow that.”

The progress of negotiations remains unclear as Special Envoy Steve Witkoff is set to travel to Oman on Sunday for the sixth round of direct and indirect nuclear negotiations with , as confirmed by Omani Foreign Minister Badr al-Busaidi on Thursday.

The negotiations have become increasingly tense in recent weeks and appear to have stalled over the levels of enriched uranium.

The U.S. has consistently stated that Iran must , including for civil energy use – of which Iran contributes less than 1% of its overall energy needs to nuclear energy.

Iran has consistently refused to abandon all nuclear enrichment, and the fate of its stockpiles of near-weapons-grade enriched uranium remains unclear, particularly given the significant increase in these stockpiles over a three-month period earlier this year.

Last month, the IAEA raised concerns that Iran had increased its stockpiles by nearly 35% between February and May, with the nuclear watchdog reporting an increase from approximately 605.8 pounds of uranium enriched to 60% to 900.8 pounds by mid-May.

Earlier this week, the Institute for Science and International Security estimated that Iran could further enrich the process to worth of weapons-grade uranium in as little as two to three days at its Fordow Fuel Enrichment Plant (FFEP).

The Institute for Science and International Security claimed that nine nuclear weapons could be manufactured within three weeks, and with coordination between the Natanz Fuel Enrichment Plant (FEP), Iran could produce around 22 nuclear warheads within five months.

On Thursday, the IAEA’s 35-nation Board of Governors declared Iran is in breach of its non-proliferation obligations for the first time in nearly 20 years.

The board may escalate the breach to the UN Security Council, which could then be prompted to enforce on Tehran, a move that Western security experts have long been advocating for.

Only three nations on the board opposed the breach declaration: Russia, China, and Burkina Faso, despite years of mounting evidence of man-made highly enriched uranium and Tehran’s refusal to grant the IAEA full access to all its nuclear facilities, a violation of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPAO).

Tehran remains bound by the international deal, although the agreement significantly deteriorated after the U.S. withdrew in 2018 under the first Trump administration, citing Iran’s alleged breach of the terms.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, who testified before the House Armed Services Committee, told Senators that “There are plenty of indications that [Iran has] been moving their way towards something that would look a lot like a nuclear weapon.”

The secretary’s comments contradict assertions made by the Director of National Intelligence, who said in March that Iran is not building a nuclear weapon.

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