US President Donald Trump said that the United States is currently negotiating with Iran and will return to war if the talks fail, in an interview with Axios on Monday.

“We are in very deep talks with Iran,” Trump told Axios. “If they don’t work out, we will go back to very strong military action.”

Trump said that he paused US strikes on Iran to give negotiations another chance, Axios reported, with the president adding that he would not give the talks with Tehran “much time.” 

“Either it goes fast or not at all,” said Trump, adding that countries involved in the talks told him not to “fire,” leading to his decision to hold off on the renewal of major strikes.

“Nothing gained, nothing lost,” he added, noting that oil prices had fallen and stock prices had risen since his decision to hold off on major strikes.

Trump: US has not spoken to Saudis about joining Abraham Accords

Later on Monday, Trump told reporters on Air Force One that the US had not spoken to Saudi Arabia about joining the Abraham Accords, despite his Thursday Truth Social post saying that the US-Saudi nuclear agreement hinges on the kingdom joining the accords.

He added that Iran is only negotiating because “they are in a bad situation,” noting that “we have time” for the talks.

“The US has destroyed Iran’s military. They want to meet,” he said.

“There is a good chance something will happen during the talks,” said Trump. “If not, we will go back to what we did before.”

Trump described the positions of the US and Israel on the Iran issue as having “some small differences,” but “pretty close,” saying that he and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu “did great things together,” calling him a “wartime prime minister.”

He further addressed Israeli opposition to the potential US sale of F-35 fighter jets to Turkey, saying “nobody tells me what we should be selling.”

“Turkey has been a great ally to me, [President Recep Tayyip Erdogan] has done a great job in Syria – he’s a friend of mine,” Trump said.

Trump also discussed reports of dwindling ammunition, saying that the US has “plenty,” but he would “like more.”

He also denounced the decision of the Biden administration to provide ammunition to Ukraine.

Netanyahu heads to US for Trump talks on Iran

Trump’s comments come as Netanyahu heads to Washington for a meeting with the president, the Prime Minister’s Office confirmed earlier on Monday.

“I am going to talk to Bibi about the fact that if I weren’t president, Iran would have had nuclear weapons by now and Israel would have been destroyed,” Trump said to Axios of the upcoming meeting.

The two world leaders are expected to discuss the situation with Iran, among several other issues.

“From my experience as prime minister, during these complex times we must act with both great determination and great wisdom,” said Netanyahu. “I am embarking on this mission with one clear goal: to ensure the security, strength, and future of our dear State of Israel.”

Netanyahu will also attend the funeral of Lindsey Graham, who died on July 12 following a brief, sudden illness.

Miriam Sela-Eitam and Amichai Stein contributed to this report.

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