Trump: I wouldn’t say I waved off Israeli plan to attack Iran, but I’m not in rush to do it

Asked about a New York Times report that he “waved off” an Israeli plan to strike Iranian nuclear sites next month, US President Donald Trump says, “I wouldn’t say waved off.”

But then he adds, “I’m not in a rush to do it,” indicating a degree of confirmation of the report, which said Israel wanted to go ahead with a major Israeli-American attack on Iran’s nuclear facilities next month but Trump opted for diplomacy.

“Iran has a chance to have a great country, and to live happily without death, and I’d like to see that,” the president elaborates, speaking to reporters in the Oval Office alongside Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni. “That’s my first option.”

“If there’s a second option, I think it would be very bad for Iran, and I think Iran is wanting to talk. I hope they’re wanting to talk. It’s going to be very good for them if they do. Iran can’t have a nuclear weapon. It’s pretty simple,” he adds.

Trump boasts of having pulled the US out of the 2015 Iran nuclear deal.