Former President Donald Trump didn’t mince words in a recent interview, making it clear that if nuclear negotiations with Iran hit a wall, he’s ready to take the gloves off. Speaking with Time magazine in a piece published Friday, April 25, Trump struck a familiar tone—optimistic on diplomacy, but unapologetically hawkish if talks fail.
While expressing hope that the U.S. and Iran might still come to terms, Trump said he’d be willing to sit down directly with Iran’s supreme leader or president to hash things out. But if Tehran keeps inching toward a nuclear weapon, he warned, action would follow.
“If push comes to shove, we might have to strike—because one thing’s certain: Iran’s not getting the bomb,” Trump stated bluntly.
This hardline stance comes just ahead of a new round of negotiations set to kick off in Oman, following earlier, somewhat ambiguous discussions in Rome. While previous meetings have hinted at progress, there’s been little in the way of concrete outcomes.
Asked whether he’d stood in the way of an Israeli military strike on Iran, Trump pushed back on the claim. “That’s not true,” he said. “I didn’t stop them. But I didn’t exactly roll out the red carpet either.”
Trump explained that while he gave Israel the freedom to act, he made it clear he preferred diplomacy over warfare. “I said I’d rather see a deal than see bombs falling. But at the end of the day, it was their call.”
With tensions simmering and negotiations teetering, Trump’s message was unmistakable: he still believes in making deals—but he’s not afraid to play hardball if diplomacy hits a dead end.
