President Trump said Friday that he is "not happy" with the pace of progress in negotiations with Iran over its nuclear program, as tensions continue to ratchet up amid the administration's deployment of military assets to the Middle East.

In remarks to reporters before leaving the White House for Texas, where the president will deliver remarks on energy, Mr. Trump said he has not yet made a decision on whether to authorize strikes against Iran, but said he is not happy with how the Iranians have been negotiating.

"I'm not happy with the fact that they're not willing to give us what we have to have," he said. "I'm not thrilled with that. We'll see what happens. We're talking later."

Mr. Trump said there is "always a risk" of drawn-out war with the Iranians, and reiterated that they cannot get a nuclear weapon.

"It'd be nice if we could do it without [the military], but sometimes you have to do it with," he said. "We have the greatest military anywhere in the world. There's nothing close. I'd love not to use it, but sometimes you have to."

U.S. special envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, Mr. Trump's son-in-law, met with Iranian negotiators in Geneva, Switzerland, on Thursday for talks brokered by Oman that are aimed at averting a potential U.S. military assault. While Middle Eastern nations have warned that strikes could lead to a major international conflict, the president has overseen a buildup of forces, which he calls a naval "armada," consisting of military jets, two aircraft carriers and guided-missile destroyers in the region.

On Friday, the State Department authorized non-emergency personnel and their family members to leave Israel "due to safety risks." It also announced Secretary of State Marco Rubio is set to travel to the country next week to discuss a "range of regional priorities," including Iran.

Source

Posted by Temmy
Sat, February 28, 2026 11:56am