TEL AVIV, Israel — President Donald Trump said Friday he is “not happy” with the latest negotiations over Iran’s nuclear program but indicated he would give negotiators more time to try to reach a deal that could avert another Middle East war.
Trump spoke a day after U.S. envoys held another inconclusive round of indirect talks with Iran in Geneva. As U.S. forces gather in the region, Trump has warned of military action if Iran does not agree to a far-reaching deal, while Iran insists 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.” When asked how close he was to deciding on a military strike, he said, “I’d rather not tell you.” Asked about the risks of a drawn-out conflict, he said, “I guess you could say there’s always a risk.”
One of the mediators, Oman’s Foreign Minister Badr al-Busaidi, urged patience. On CBS’s Face the Nation he said a deal was within reach if negotiators were given room to close remaining differences: “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.” Al-Busaidi met Friday with U.S. Vice President JD Vance and later posted on X that he was “grateful for their engagement” and optimistic about decisive progress. He said there had been significant breakthroughs and that Iran had expressed willingness not to accumulate more enriched uranium and to allow comprehensive outside inspections.
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio plans a brief visit to Israel early next week, the State Department said, to discuss regional priorities including Iran, Lebanon and efforts to implement President Trump’s 20-Point Peace Plan for Gaza. The U.S. Embassy in Jerusalem also moved to “authorized departure” for nonessential staff and family members, allowing eligible staff to leave voluntarily at government expense. Ambassador Mike Huckabee urged staff in an email and at a town hall to depart quickly if they chose to: “Those wishing to take AD should do so TODAY,” he wrote.
Before the trip, Rubio labeled Iran a “state sponsor of wrongful detention” and said the State Department may invalidate U.S. passports for travel to Iran, warning such a restriction could become illegal to use if Iran did not stop detaining foreign nationals; that measure currently applies only to North Korea.
A confidential report from the U.N. nuclear watchdog circulated to member states and seen by The Associated Press said Iran has not offered inspectors access to sensitive nuclear sites since they were heavily bombed during the 12-day war launched by Israel last June. The agency said it could not confirm Iran’s assertions that it had halted uranium enrichment after the U.S. and Israeli strikes.
Technical talks are scheduled to continue in Vienna next week after the Geneva round ended without a deal. Rafael Grossi, head of the International Atomic Energy Agency, met with a U.S. arms control official and said they exchanged views on nonproliferation issues including Iran. U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres urged both sides “to focus on the diplomatic track,” saying he had seen “positive messages” from diplomacy but also “very worrying military movements throughout the region.”
The U.S. has massed aircraft and warships in the Middle East, with one aircraft carrier already in place and another en route. Iran has warned it would respond to any U.S. attack by targeting American forces in the region, potentially including bases in allied Arab countries.
Airlines and governments have adjusted travel plans amid the tension. KLM announced plans to suspend flights out of Tel Aviv’s Ben-Gurion International Airport. Several embassies have set authorized departures or moved staff; Britain’s Foreign Office temporarily withdrew U.K. staff from Iran and moved some personnel and families within Israel as a precaution. The U.K. updated travel advice to advise against all but essential travel to Israel. Germany, Australia and other countries have urged citizens to avoid travel to Israel; Australia directed dependents of officials in Israel to depart. China and India also advised against travel to Iran, with China urging its citizens already in Iran to leave.