Trump says he'd 'love not to' attack Iran, 'but sometimes you have to'

President Donald Trump expressed frustration at Iran's refusal to comply with American demands to curb its nuclear program.

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Politics

Trump says he'd 'love not to' attack Iran, 'but sometimes you have to'

Dan Mangan@in/danmangancnbc/@_DanMangan

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Key Points

• President Donald Trump said, "I'd love not to use" the U.S. military to attack Iran, "but sometimes you have to."
• "We haven't made a final decision" on whether to attack Iran, the president told reporters at the White House.
• "We're not thrilled with the way they're negotiating," Trump said about the Islamic republic. "They cannot have nuclear weapons."

In this article

• UAMY

U.S. President Donald Trump stops to speak to the media as he departs on Marine One on the South Lawn of the White House on Feb. 27, 2026 in Washington, DC.

Andrew Harnik | Getty Images

President Donald Trump on Friday said that "I'd love not to use" the U.S. military to attack Iran, "but sometimes you have to."

But Trump also said, "We haven't made a final decision" on whether to attack Iran.

"We'll see what happens," he said. "We're talking later today. We'll have some additional talks today."

Trump's comment to reporters outside the White House came after he expressed frustration at Iran's refusal to comply with American demands to curb its nuclear program.

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"We're not thrilled with the way they're negotiating," Trump said. "They cannot have nuclear weapons."

"I'm not happy that they're not willing to give us what we have to have," Trump said, referring to that condition.

Asked by a reporter if there could be a long, drawn-out conflict in the Middle East if the United States attacks Iran, Trump said, "I guess you could say there's always a risk."

"It'd be wonderful if they negotiate, really, in good conscience, good faith," he said. "They are not getting there so far."

Omani Foreign Minister Badr al-Busaidi, who has been mediating negotiations between the U.S. and Iran, met in Washington, D.C., with Vice President JD Vance and other American officials in a bid to avoid war.

A statement issued by Oman's government after the meeting put a positive spin on those talks that was not reflected in Trump's blunt comments.

"The meeting examined the indirect US-Iran negotiations sponsored by the Sultanate of Oman, alongside the diplomatic endeavours seeking to culminate in a just and enduring agreement concerning the nuclear file and to guarantee the peaceful character of Iran's nuclear energy program," Oman's government said.

"I am grateful for their engagement and look forward to further and decisive progress in the coming days," al-Busaidi said in a post on X. "Peace is within our reach."

During an interview with MS Now, when asked if there was a chance of the United States attacking Iran overnight, al-Busaidi said, "I can't answer that question, because I don't know."

"I think President Trump is sincerely passionate for a deal," al-Busaidi said. "He wants to have a deal. He wants to have a diplomatic solution, and this is what we are trying to do."

But Trump, in a speech later Friday afternoon in Corpus Christi, Texas, said of Iran, "We have a very big decision."

"We have a country that's been 47 years blowing people's legs off, arms off," Trump said. They've been knocking out ships, killing people, lots of people, not only Americans, lots of people."

Trump said he wanted to "make a deal that's meaningful."

"I'd rather do it the peaceful way," Trump said, while calling Iran's government "very difficult people, dangerous people, very difficult people."

The U.S. Embassy in Jerusalem earlier Friday authorized non-emergency U.S. government personnel and their family members to leave Israel "due to safety risks."

Also Friday, the massive American aircraft carrier, the USS Gerald Ford, arrived off Israel's coast.

Also on Friday, the State Department said that Secretary of State Marco Rubio would visit Israel on Monday and Tuesday to discuss Iran and other regional issues.

Original source