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Trump Says Would Be Nice To Solve Iranian Nuclear Problem without Military Strikes

President Donald Trump expressed the view last night that it would be nice to solve the Iranian nuclear problem without military action. “I’m not going to answer that,” Trump first replied when reporters asked in the Oval Office whether he would support an Israeli strike on Iran’s nuclear facilities, adding that he would be holding meetings with various senior officials on the matter shortly, reported the Times of Israel. “Hopefully that can be worked out without having to worry about it. It would really be nice if that could be worked out without having to go that further step,” Trump continued. “Iran will hopefully make a deal, and if they don’t make a deal that’s okay too,” he said.

Trump was also asked whether he’ll want Steve Witkoff, his special envoy for the Middle East, to be negotiating directly with Iran, amid the reports that he was planning to have him handle U.S. diplomacy with Tehran. “No, but he’s certainly somebody I would use,” Trump said.

Trump’s interchange on Iran came after the Financial Times posted a report claiming that Trump may put Witkoff in charge of the Iran portfolio, to lead efforts to negotiate a new deal on Iran’s nuclear program. That effort is part of a broader Trump remit to “stop the wars” in the region, “people familiar with the matter” said. Trump did confirm that he intended to task Witkoff with negotiating with Iran.