“Well, I think it's very hard to make that request right now. If somebody is winning, it is a little bit harder to do that than if somebody is losing," he told reporters in New Jersey.
Israel launched a military operation against Iran last Friday, striking nuclear sites and assassinating many top military commanders and nuclear scientists. Iran retaliated and the two continue to target each other with air and missile strikes. The escalation brought an end to Iran’s indirect nuclear talks with Washington.
"We have been speaking to Iran and we will see what happens," Trump said about Iran's potential return to nuclear talks.
Trump said he was giving Iran two weeks before he would make a decision about getting directly involved in the conflict. “I'm giving them a period of time, I would say two weeks will be the maximum,” he said.
When asked why he chose to delay his decision, he replied "To see whether or not people come to their senses."
Addressing Iran’s nuclear enrichment program, Trump said there is no need for Tehran to pursue nuclear capabilities because its vast oil resources are sufficient to meet its energy needs.
“They are sitting on top of one of the largest piles of oil in the world. I just don't know why they need that [nuclear enrichment] for civilian work,” he said.
Trump had suggested on Monday that Iran may be open to negotiations, but Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmail Baghaei dismissed the possibility, saying that Israeli attacks have “practically emptied the diplomatic process and negotiations of meaning and substance.”
Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said on Friday that Tehran is ready to continue nuclear negotiations once the conflict with Israel is over.
