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3. Trump: ‘Sometimes You Have to’ Use the Military

President Donald Trump expressed his dissatisfaction with the rounds of nuclear talks between U.S. and Iranian officials.

“I’d love to not use [the military] but sometimes you have to,” Trump said in a press briefing.

He stated that his administration prefers to reach a deal with Iran but conveyed that Iran cannot be allowed to retain pathways towards developing a nuclear weapon.

“I will never allow the world‘s number one sponsor of terror—which they are by far—to have a nuclear weapon,” Trump said at the State of the Union.

Trump’s comments align with how officials in his administration have characterized the negotiations with Iran. U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff and U.S. special advisor Jared Kushner were reportedly disappointed in the dialogue’s progress in Geneva as the U.S. continued to emphasize a no-enrichment position.

The U.S. military buildup in the Middle East is ongoing, with the U.S.S. Gerald Ford aircraft carrier docking in Israel on Friday and as the Pentagon readies its drone arsenal. With military assets in place, tensions remain heightened.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio will visit Israel on Monday to discuss Iran, Lebanon, and Gaza amid regional concerns for conflict, coordinating positions on security.

However, talks are still set to continue next week in Vienna at the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). Oman, the negotiations’ mediator, sent its foreign minister to Washington to meet with U.S. Vice President JD Vance ahead of further nuclear talks.