President Trump: “I don’t want to use force, but sometimes we have to” on Iran
In response to a question about Iran, President Donald Trump told reporters that while he did not want to use force, “sometimes you have to do it.”
WASHINGTON – President Donald Trump says he is seeking a way out of a potential conflict with Iran, but he has yet to hear “secret words” from adversaries with whom the United States is engaged in tense nuclear negotiations.
In his State of the Union address on February 24, President Trump said he wanted Iran to declare that it would “never have nuclear weapons.” Even after a U.S. operation last summer caused significant damage and destruction to Iran’s nuclear facilities, President Trump said the country was pursuing “evil ambitions.”
US fighter jets and aircraft carriers have been dispatched to the region as President Trump threatens to attack. On February 19, he warned that “really bad things are going to happen” if Iran does not reach a deal within 10 to 15 days to permanently halt its nuclear program.
“It would be great if they really negotiated in good faith and in good faith and in good faith, but the negotiations are not there. So far…the negotiations are not there,” President Trump told reporters on February 27, as he was leaving the White House for a trip to Texas.
The president said he was not satisfied with Iran’s way of negotiating, but said he had not made a final decision on whether to carry out a military strike, which it is unclear whether it would lead to the overthrow of Iran’s supreme leader, and U.S. allies in the region fear it could lead to a broader war.
So the question arises: What does the US want from Iran?
“This is a war of choices,” said Aaron David Miller, a former U.S. negotiator and adviser to the Republican and Democratic secretaries of state. “The president has not indicated a clear goal.”
there are no nuclear weapons
Diplomatic talks are set to resume next week between the US and Iran amid growing signs of military conflict between the two countries, which analysts warn could spread and engulf the Middle East.
The US State Department announced on February 27 that Secretary of State Marco Rubio will visit Israel early next week to discuss Iran and other regional issues.
Negotiators from both countries are also expected to meet again next week after a third round of indirect negotiations ended on February 26 without a deal that would avert a potential U.S. attack. Oman, the mediator, said progress had been made, but by the end of the week there were no signs that the situation would be resolved any time soon.
Mona Yakubian, director of the Middle East program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, said: “It’s clear that the administration is pursuing both options, withholding military force, of course, and may indeed be pursuing an imminent attack, but it’s also showing a desire to find a diplomatic solution if possible.”
Iran’s nuclear program is at the center of the debate. President Trump said Iran should never be allowed to develop nuclear weapons. The Iranian government insists instead that it is enriching uranium for civilian purposes.
The United States and Israel have for decades accused Iran of secretly trying to develop nuclear weapons, and last June they bombed three Iranian nuclear facilities. President Trump said at the time that the attack destroyed Iran’s main nuclear enrichment facility, but a subsequent U.S. assessment found that only one of the three facilities had been destroyed.
US wants permanent agreement
In the current negotiations, the US is demanding that Iran halt its uranium enrichment program. This demand has become a major point of contention, with Iran insisting it has the right to enrich uranium on its own soil for non-weapons uses such as energy production.
President Trump has argued that Iran should not be allowed to enrich uranium at all.
“I’m saying we’re not going to enrich,” he said during a stop at a Texas refinery on February 27. “Instead of 20% or 30%, they always want 20%, 30%. They want it for civil purposes. I think that’s disrespectful.”
Miller said he believes President Trump is asking Iran to agree to inspections by an independent agency such as the International Atomic Energy Agency, as well as constraints that would make it impossible for the Iranians to enrich enough uranium in a transparent manner to produce enough fissile material to make a nuclear weapon.
But he said: “Even though he seems committed to next week’s negotiations, including technical talks with the IAEA, he seems to think in his own mind that he needs to send a message to the IAEA, that he needs to make sure the world understands that he is not joking and is serious.”
The Wall Street Journal reported that the United States is demanding that Iran destroy its three main nuclear facilities in Fordow, Natanz, and Isfahan and hand over all remaining enriched uranium to the United States. Iranian officials oppose these demands.
The United States also insists that the nuclear deal between the two countries remain permanent, with no future termination date or sunset clause. The Trump administration insists the deal will be more ironclad than the one negotiated a decade ago under then-President Barack Obama and from which Trump withdrew during his first term.
The deal required Iran to limit its nuclear program, including by reducing enrichment levels and cutting back on centrifuges, and was scheduled to take effect in 2016 and expire 10 years after its adoption.
ballistic missile
The United States has also called on Iran to limit its ballistic missile program. President Trump warned in his State of the Union address on February 24 that Iran would soon be able to build missiles capable of attacking the United States.
According to Reuters, experts have cast doubt on this argument and say it is not supported by U.S. intelligence reports.
Three sources familiar with the assessment told the news agency that Trump’s claims appear to be exaggerated and cast doubt on some of his claims about a possible attack on Iran.
“It’s not that easy to build ballistic missiles that can reach the United States, even though they have done so much harm to American programs,” said Daniel Kurtzer, who served as U.S. ambassador to Israel during the George W. Bush administration. He also served as U.S. ambassador to Egypt under former President Bill Clinton.
Iran has the largest ballistic missile force in the Middle East, with missiles capable of hitting Israel, U.S. military bases in the region and parts of Europe. It is also developing a so-called space launch vehicle to put satellites into orbit, which experts say could be converted into an intercontinental ballistic missile capable of carrying a nuclear warhead.
Ending support for proxy groups
The Trump administration said it is asking Iran to end its support for proxy regional groups such as Hezbollah, Hamas and the Houthis and to commit not to use violence against protesters.
Iran is building a network of groups that it uses to exert influence across the Middle East. These groups operate with some degree of autonomy, but Iran provides them with financial support, weapons such as drones and missiles, training and intelligence.
These groups have essentially become Iran’s “shadow army,” carrying out attacks on Israel, U.S. forces operating in the Middle East, and commercial shipping in the Red Sea. The United States has designated many of them as terrorist organizations.
But since last summer’s attack on Israel, former Ambassador Kurzer said proxy activity has subsided.
“It would be nice to get some kind of declaration or commitment,” he said. “But in practical terms, proxies are no longer that important.”
Contributed by: Reuters
Michael Collins writes about the intersection of politics and culture. He is a veteran reporter who has covered the White House and Congress. Follow him on X: @mcollinsNEWS
Francesca Chambers is USA TODAY’s White House correspondent covering foreign policy. Follow her on X: fran_chambers
