Trump says he warned Netanyahu to hold off on an Iran strike to give US more time for nuclear talks

WASHINGTON AP President Donald Trump explained Wednesday he has reported Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to hold off on striking Iran to give the U S administration more time to push for a new nuclear deal with Tehran I stated him this would be inappropriate to do right now because we re very close to a answer Trump stated reporters at the White House Now that could change at any moment It could change with a phone call But right now I think they want to make a deal And if we can make a deal it would save a lot of lives Trump added that an agreement could come together over the next couple of weeks if it happens The Israeli prime minister s office did not forthwith respond to a request for comment Trump s comments came as the head of the United Nations atomic watchdog stated the jury is still out on negotiations between Iran and the U S over Tehran s rapidly advancing nuclear venture But Rafael Mariano Grossi director-general of the International Atomic Power Agency described the continuing negotiations between Iran and the U S as a good sign Grossi commented he s in near-daily conversation with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi as well as talking to Steve Witkoff the U S Middle East envoy Grossi acknowledged one of his deputies was in Tehran on Wednesday Iranian authorities identified the official as Massimo Aparo the head of the atomic potency agency s safeguards arm That s the division that sends inspectors into Iran to monitor its activity which now enriches uranium up to purity a short technical step from weapons-grade levels of For the moment the jury is still out Grossi recounted journalists attending a weeklong seminar at the agency in Vienna We don t know whether there s going to be an agreement or not However he described the meetings as a good sign I think that is an indication of a willingness to come to an agreement And I think that in and by itself is something attainable Iran and the U S so far have held five rounds of talks in both Muscat Oman and in Rome mediated by Omani Foreign Minister Badr al-Busaidi A sixth round has yet to be set Talks focused on Iranian enrichment The talks seek to limit Iran s nuclear initiative in exchange for the lifting of particular of the crushing economic sanctions the U S has imposed on the Islamic Republic closing in on a half-century of enmity Trump has repeatedly threatened to unleash airstrikes targeting Iran s scheme if a deal isn t reached Iranian bureaucrats increasingly warn they could pursue a nuclear weapon with their stockpile of uranium Trump has described Iran as having an American proposal to reach a deal However Iran repeatedly has denied receiving such a proposal including on Wednesday with Mohammad Eslami the head of the Atomic Strength Organization of Iran However if a deal is reached Iran might allow the U N atomic power agency to have American inspectors on its teams during inspections Eslami disclosed Americans represent the largest single nationality of that agency s employees a agency analysis indicated Iran maintains its own pressure Before Grossi s comments to journalists in Vienna the head of Iran s paramilitary Revolutionary Guard issued a new warning to the U S as the negotiations go on Our fingers on the trigger we are in ambush and we are waiting Gen Hossein Salami warned If they make a mistake they will promptly receive responses that will make them thoroughly forget their past Despite the tensions Grossi revealed he deduced there s unfailingly a way to reach a deal between the Americans and the Iranians even with the disagreement over enrichment However he added that any realizable deal likely would require a solid very robust U N agency probe of Iran s project to understand where it stood after years of Tehran restricting inspectors ability to assess it My conversations with my Iranian colleagues and counterparts I constantly invite them to be absolutely transparent Grossi announced And they tell me that a nuclear weapon is un-Islamic I tell them Well yeah You know that is perfect It s a announcement that I respect But in this business you have to show it You have to be verified in this And requested about his own political future Grossi acknowledged his interest in pursuing the post of U N secretary-general which is now held by Ant nio Guterres whose current five-year term expires in But for now I have a lot on my plate