U.S. President Donald Trump said Friday he is “not happy” with the most recent indirect talks with Iran over its nuclear program, but indicated he will give negotiators more time to try to reach an agreement that could avert another Middle East war.
Trump spoke a day after U.S. envoys completed an inconclusive round of indirect talks with Iran in Geneva. As American forces concentrate in the region, he has warned military action remains an option if Iran refuses a wide-ranging deal. Iran maintains it has the right to enrich uranium for peaceful purposes and denies seeking a nuclear weapon.
“I’m not happy with the fact that they’re not willing to give us what we have to have. I’m not thrilled with that. We’ll see what happens. We’re talking later,” Trump told reporters as he left the White House. “We’re not exactly happy with the way they’re negotiating. They cannot have nuclear weapons.”
Despite the president’s impatience, a mediator urged restraint. Oman’s Foreign Minister Badr al-Busaidi, who has been brokering talks, told CBS’s Face the Nation that a deal is attainable if negotiators are given the space to resolve remaining issues. “If I was President Trump, my only advice is just to give those negotiators enough room, enough space to really close these remaining areas that we need to discuss and agree upon,” he said.
On a visit to Texas, Trump sounded more pessimistic, saying Iranian negotiators “don’t want to quite go far enough. It’s too bad.” He repeated that he opposes any uranium enrichment by Iran and questioned the need for enrichment even for energy. When asked how close he was to ordering a military strike, he replied, “I’d rather not tell you,” and acknowledged the risks of a prolonged conflict: “I guess you could say there’s always a risk.”
The State Department said U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio plans a quick trip to Israel early next week to discuss regional priorities including Iran, Lebanon and implementation of President Trump’s 20-Point Peace Plan for Gaza. The U.S. Embassy in Israel moved to “authorized departure” for nonessential staff and families, and urged those who want to leave to do so at government expense. Ambassador Mike Huckabee told staff, “Those wishing to take AD should do so TODAY,” warning outbound flights might not be available.
Rubio also labeled Iran a “state sponsor of wrongful detention” and the State Department said it may begin invalidating U.S. passports for travel to Iran in response to ongoing detentions. The step would not automatically carry penalties but could be tightened if Iran continues detaining foreign nationals.
A confidential International Atomic Energy Agency report seen by The Associated Press said Iran has not granted inspectors access to sensitive nuclear sites since they were heavily bombed during a 12-day war Israel launched last June, leaving the agency unable to verify Iran’s claims it stopped uranium enrichment after U.S. and Israeli strikes.
Diplomacy continues: Iran and the United States left Geneva without a deal on Thursday, and technical talks are scheduled in Vienna next week. Al-Busaidi met Friday with U.S. Vice President JD Vance to discuss negotiations and later posted on X that he was “grateful for their engagement” and that “Peace is within our reach.” He told CBS Iran had expressed willingness to relinquish enriched uranium, refrain from further accumulation and permit comprehensive outside inspections.
IAEA Director Rafael Grossi met with U.S. arms control official Christopher Yeaw to address nonproliferation concerns. U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres urged both sides to “focus on the diplomatic track” while warning of “very worrying military movements throughout the region.”
Washington has assembled a large fleet of aircraft and warships in the Middle East, with one carrier already in place and another en route. Iran has warned it would retaliate against any U.S. attack by striking American forces in the region. Airlines, including KLM, announced plans to suspend flights from Tel Aviv’s Ben-Gurion Airport, and several countries have advised nationals to leave or avoid travel to Israel and Iran. Britain temporarily withdrew some staff from Iran and shifted personnel within Israel; Germany, Australia, China, India and multiple European nations issued similar travel warnings or departures.