By Kanishka Singh
WASHINGTON (Reuters) -U.S. President Donald Trump said he wanted a “real end” to the nuclear problem with Iran, with Iran “giving up entirely” on nuclear weapons, in comments he made to reporters on Air Force One on his way back from the Group of Seven summit in Canada.
“Giving up entirely,” Trump told reporters early on Tuesday. “Iran cannot have a nuclear weapon, it’s very simple.”
The air war between Iran and U.S. ally Israel – which began on Friday when Israel attacked Iran with airstrikes – has raised alarms in a region that had already been on edge since the start of Israel’s military assault on Gaza in October 2023.
Trump said he may send U.S. Middle East Envoy Steve Witkoff or Vice President JD Vance to meet with Iran. However, he added that “it depends on what happens when I get back”.
When asked if Israel would slow down its attacks on Iran, Trump said: “You’re going to find out over the next two days. You’re going to find out. Nobody’s slowed up so far.”
Trump also said he had not seen any signs yet of North Korea or Russia getting involved to help Iran.
The president added Washington was working on helping Americans who were trying to flee the region amid the Israel-Iran war. “We’re working on that, we’re doing the best we can,” he said.
Since the Israeli strikes on Friday, the two Middle Eastern rivals have exchanged blows, with Iranian officials reporting more than 220 deaths, mostly civilians, while Israel said 24 civilians were killed.
Israel, the U.S. and other Western nations have long sought to pressure Iran to curb its nuclear weapons development.
Tehran denies seeking nuclear weapons and has said it has the right to develop nuclear technology for peaceful purposes, including enrichment, as a party to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty.
Israel, which is not a party to the NPT, is the only country in the Middle East widely believed to have nuclear weapons.
Washington said Trump was still aiming for a nuclear deal with Iran. However, Trump also said he was not looking at a ceasefire between Iran and Israel and that he had not reached out to Iran for any peace talks.
“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,” Trump wrote on Truth Social about Iran.
(Reporting by Kanishka Singh in Washington; Editing by Alex Richardson)
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