WASHINGTON - US President Donald Trump said Sunday he does not care if Iran agrees to negotiate with the United States after a senior adviser earlier suggested the Islamic Republic would have no choice but to agree to talks.
National Security Adviser Robert O'Brien told "Fox News Sunday" the Trump administration's "maximum pressure campaign" was working, adding "Iran is being choked off, and Iran is going to have no other choice but to come to the table."
In a Twitter post later on Sunday, Trump cited O'Brien's interview and wrote: "Actually, I couldn't care less if they negotiate. Will be totally up to them but, no nuclear weapons and 'don't kill your protesters.'" A spokesman for O'Brien did not immediately comment.
Former deputy director-general for safeguards at the International Atomic Energy Agency Olli Heinonen told The Jerusalem Post last week that Iran may be able to develop a nuclear weapon within two months from the end of January.
In an interview to Fox News Friday, Trump said his Middle East policy focused on preventing Iran from developing nuclear capabilities.
“I don’t want people having nuclear weapons because they’ll use them. I don’t want people having nuclear weapons. That’s my biggest thing," he said. "You cannot let Iran have a nuclear weapon.”
The US withdrew from the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) — also known as the Iran Nuclear Deal — in 2018.