Trump urges Iran to reach nuclear deal after Israeli strikes, 'before there is nothing left'
Not clear if next scheduled talks between U.S., Iran will still occur after Israeli attack
U.S. President Donald Trump on Friday urged Iran to make a deal over its nuclear program, saying that there was still time for the country to prevent further conflict with Israel.
Israel launched strikes against Iran on Friday, saying it had targeted nuclear facilities, ballistic missile factories and military commanders during the start of an operation to prevent Tehran from building a nuclear weapon. An Israeli military spokesperson said its operation against Iran would be lengthy and gradual.
Trump told Reuters in a phone interview on Friday that it was unclear if Iran still has a nuclear program following Israeli strikes on the country.
"Nobody knows. It was a very devastating hit," Trump said.
Earlier, Trump suggested in a social media post that Iran had brought the attack on itself by resisting U.S. demands in talks to restrict its nuclear program.
The U.S. president said he "gave Iran chance after chance to make a deal," and "it will only get worse" for the Islamic Republic if they fail to make a deal now.
"There has already been great death and destruction, but there is still time to make this slaughter, with the next already planned attacks being even more brutal, come to an end," Trump said in a post on Truth Social.
"Iran must make a deal, before there is nothing left, and save what was once known as the Iranian Empire," he added.
Mediator Oman condemns Israeli strikes
American officials have repeatedly said any new nuclear deal — to replace a 2015 accord between Tehran and six world powers including the U.S., from which Trump withdrew — must include a commitment to scrap uranium enrichment, a prerequisite for developing nuclear bombs.
The Islamic Republic insists it wants nuclear energy only for civilian purposes. But the 35-nation board of governors of the International Atomic Energy Agency, which includes Canada, declared Iran in breach of its non-proliferation obligations for the first time in almost 20 years on Thursday.
Washington and Tehran on Thursday had announced plans for another round of talks on Sunday in Oman between U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff and Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi.
"They're not dead," Trump told Reuters of the U.S.-Iran talks. "We have a meeting with them on Sunday. Now, I'm not sure if that meeting will take place, but we have a meeting with them on Sunday."
Oman said it considered the overnight attacks "a dangerous, reckless escalation, representing a flagrant violation of the United Nations Charter, the principles of international law."
"Such aggressive, persistent behaviour is unacceptable and further destabilizes the regional peace and security," the government statement read.
"The Sultanate of Oman holds Israel responsible for this escalation and its consequences, and calls upon the international community to adopt a firm and unequivocal stance to halt this dangerous course of action," it added.
U.S. says it didn't participate
Trump has been increasingly at odds with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu over both Iran and his handling of Israel's war in Gaza, wanting to seal a deal with Tehran and accelerate food aid into Gaza.
Trump and Netanyahu spoke on Monday, and Trump told reporters the main topic was Iran. Speaking to reporters on Thursday, he suggested an Israeli attack was imminent.
Retaliation by Iran for Israel's strikes could put U.S. troops and diplomats around the region at risk, given that the United States is Israel's main backer.
Security concerns had risen since Trump said on Wednesday that U.S. personnel were being moved out of the region because "it could be a dangerous place" and that Tehran would not be allowed to develop a nuclear weapon.
On Friday, Trump said he had been fully aware of Israel's plans for the attack.
Marco Rubio, Trump's secretary of state and national security adviser, stressed that Israel's strikes were unilateral, soon after they began.
"We are not involved in strikes against Iran, and our top priority is protecting American forces in the region," Rubio said in a statement. "Israel advised us that they believe this action was necessary for its self-defence."
But Trump's social media post hours later urging Iran to make a deal boasted that "the United States makes the best and most lethal military equipment anywhere in the World."
Rubio's statement did not mention whether Washington would support Israel if it faces retaliatory strikes, a standard line in the past, but he did warn Iran to not target U.S. interests or personnel.
Iran is a signatory to the global nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty. Israel is not and is believed to have the Middle East's sole nuclear arsenal.
Iran said in a statement that Israel's "cowardly" attack showed why Iran had to insist on enrichment, nuclear technology and missile power.
Several world leaders called for both sides to exercise restraint. A spokesperson for Antonio Guterres said the UN Secretary General "is particularly concerned by Israeli attacks on nuclear installations in Iran while talks between Iran and the United States on the status of Iran's nuclear program are underway."
Trump, meanwhile, told Reuters he was not concerned about a regional war breaking out as a result of Israel's strikes.
With files from CBC News