'They want (enrichment) for civilian (purposes). I think it’s uncivil'

Trump says he’s not happy with Iran’s conduct in nuke talks, but no decision made on strike

US president pessimistic about negotiations, while Omani mediator says Iran agreed to never stockpile enriched uranium in ‘breakthrough’ that could prevent war; Rubio to Israel Monday

US President Donald Trump said Friday that he was “not happy” with Iran’s conduct in nuclear negotiations after the sides held a third round of talks in Geneva but that he hadn’t made a decision on whether to authorize a military strike on the Islamic Republic.

“We’re not exactly happy with the way they negotiated,” Trump told reporters as he left the White House on Friday.

“We haven’t made a final decision,” he said when asked about the use of force. “I don’t want to, but sometimes you have to.”

He again claimed Iran is refusing to say the “golden words: no nuclear weapon.”

In fact, Iranian officials have stated this repeatedly, including in recent days, while claiming they have a right to enrich uranium for energy, medical and economic purposes.

But the United States and Israel, which carried out a major bombing campaign in Iran in June, are skeptical of the statements by Iran.

Asked if an attack would trigger all-out war in the Middle East, Trump responded, “I guess you could always say there’s always a risk.”

Trump was circumspect on whether a US attack would bring down the Islamic Republic, a sworn enemy of the United States and Israel.

Iranian authorities last month killed thousands of people as they crushed mass protests in the biggest threat to the ruling clerics since the 1979 Islamic revolution toppled the pro-Western shah.

“Nobody knows. There might be, and there might not be,” Trump said of regime change.

Later Friday, as he visited Texas, Trump sounded more pessimistic, telling reporters that Iranian negotiators “don’t want to quite go far enough. It’s too bad.”

He asserted that he does not want to see Iran allowed to enrich any amount of uranium and said the oil-rich nation should not need to do so for an energy program because Tehran has enough oil.

“I say no enrichment — Not 20 percent or 30 percent. They want it for civilian (purposes)… I think it’s uncivil,” Trump remarked.

It’s unclear whether Trump was setting a new red line in the nuclear talks because his negotiators have reportedly shown willingness to allow Iran to enrich uranium at a very low percentage.

Iran has rejected US demands to stop enriching uranium, insisting it has the right to do so for peaceful purposes. While the Islamic Republic, whose leaders are sworn to destroy Israel, denies seeking nuclear arms, it has also enriched uranium to levels that have no peaceful application, obstructed international inspectors from checking its nuclear facilities and expanded its ballistic missile capabilities.

As American forces amass in the region, Trump has threatened military action against Iran, first over its bloody crackdown on anti-regime protesters last month and more recently over its nuclear program. Multiple countries, including the US, have issued travel warnings and instructed embassy staff to leave the region amid the tensions.

A source briefed on the internal White House deliberations told Reuters there is a recognition internally that taking on Iran would be more difficult than the US capture of Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro last month, and there was also internal pessimism as to whether the negotiations would bear fruit.

“Nobody is super optimistic about the negotiations,” the source said.

The US State Department announced on Friday that Secretary of State Marco Rubio would hold meetings in Israel on Monday and Tuesday, as the country is preparing to possibly fight Iran alongside the US and could be targeted by Iran in retaliation for a US strike.

The State Department said Rubio would “discuss a range of regional priorities, including Iran, Lebanon, and ongoing efforts to implement President Trump’s 20-Point peace plan for Gaza” during his meetings in Israel.

Before his trip, Rubio declared Iran to be a “state sponsor of wrongful detention,” and the State Department may invalidate US passports for travel to Iran.

He said the move was due to the country’s continued arrests and imprisonment of “innocent Americans” and citizens of other countries for use as political leverage. The move does not automatically carry any penalties, but Rubio said that if Iran doesn’t stop, he could make it illegal to use a U.S. passport for travel to or from Iran. That restriction currently only applies to North Korea.

Iran agreed not to stockpile enriched uranium — mediator

Earlier Friday, Oman’s Foreign Minister Badr Albusaidi — who has brokered the last three rounds of nuclear talks — held a meeting with US Vice President JD Vance to brief him on the negotiations.

Albusaidi has expressed more optimism about the talks, announcing Thursday that significant progress was made and that a subsequent round of technical talks would be held next week in Vienna.

The US has yet to publicly declare plans to attend, further raising speculation that a strike could come sooner.

Posting a picture from his meeting with Vance, Albusaidi tweeted, “Peace is within our reach.”

Albusaidi later told CBS’s “Face the Nation” that he believed all issues in a deal could be resolved “amicably and comprehensively” within three months.

However, it’s unclear whether the Trump administration has the patience to hold off on a strike for that long. The president said earlier Friday that he wants to make a deal “now.”

Meanwhile, the top Omani diplomat revealed that Iran has already agreed in negotiations never to stockpile enriched uranium — a breakthrough that he hoped would prevent war.

“If the ultimate objective is to ensure forever that Iran cannot have a nuclear bomb, I think we have cracked that problem through these negotiations by agreeing to a very important breakthrough that has never been achieved any time before,” Albusaidi said.

“I think if we can capture that and build on it, I think a deal is within our reach,” he said.

The foreign minister added that Iran would not be able to stockpile enriched uranium and that there would be verification.

He said Iran would also degrade its current stockpiles to “the lowest level possible” so that it is “converted into fuel, and that fuel will be irreversible.”

“This is something completely new. It really makes the enrichment argument less relevant, because now we are talking about zero stockpiling,” said Albusaidi.

Trump’s administration accuses Tehran of intending to build a nuclear weapon. But “if you cannot stockpile material that is enriched, then there is no way you can actually create a bomb,” Albusaidi told CBS.

In a 2015 agreement negotiated by former president Barack Obama, Iran agreed to keep enrichment only to a low level that is well below weapons grade.

Trump ripped up the deal in his first term and imposed sanctions, and in recent weeks has deployed the US military in the region to levels not seen in years.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio has insisted that any deal cover not just the nuclear program but also Iran’s missiles.

Asked about the missile issue, Albusaidi said: “I believe Iran is open to discussing everything.”