Israeli strike on Iran may very well happen: Trump

WASHINGTON: US President Donald Trump called on Thursday on Israel not to attack Iran, saying a deal on its nuclear programme remained close, but Tehran defiantly vowed to increase its output of enriched uranium ahead of new talks.

Trump acknowledged that an Israeli strike on Iran “may very well happen,” although he stopped short of calling a strike imminent, and said the risk of “massive conflict” led the United States to draw down staff in the region.

“We are fairly close to a pretty good agreement,” Trump told reporters.

Asked about his discussions with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Trump said: “I don´t want them going in, because I think it would blow it.” Trump quickly added: “Might help it actually, but it also could blow it.”

Trump´s Middle East pointman Steve Witkoff is set to hold a sixth round of talks with Iran on Sunday in Oman, which has mediated.

Trump again described himself as a man of peace.

“I´d love to avoid the conflict. Iran´s going to have to negotiate a little bit tougher -- meaning they´re going to have to give us some things that they´re not willing to give us right now,” he said.

“If the talks fail, the risk of military escalation becomes much more immediate,” said Hamidreza Azizi, a visiting fellow at the German Institute for International and Security Affairs.

Earlier, Iran vowed on Thursday to significantly increase its enriched uranium output in defiance of US demands, ahead of a round of nuclear talks overshadowed by fears of an imminent Israeli attack.

The announcement came after the UN´s International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) accused Iran of non-compliance with its obligations. Israel said the world must respond “decisively”.

The United States and other Western countries, along with Israel, have repeatedly accused Iran of seeking a nuclear weapon, which it has repeatedly denied.

Iran´s foreign minister and chief negotiator, Abbas Araghchi, said the IAEA´s resolution “adds to the complexity of the discussions”.

“We will be in Muscat to defend the rights of the Iranian people,” he said.

The IAEA´s board of governors adopted a resolution condemning Iran´s “non-compliance” with its nuclear obligations under the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), carried by 19 votes in favour, out of 35 in total, diplomats said.

Israel has repeatedly warned it could attack Iranian nuclear sites, vowing to stop it acquiring an atomic bomb.

It said Iran´s “actions undermine the global non-proliferation regime and pose an imminent threat to regional and international security and stability”.

Reports in US media, including NBC and The New York Times, this week said Israel was considering taking military action against Iran, likely without US support.

“While it´s possible the show of force from the US and Israel is meant to create pressure that leads to a diplomatic breakthrough, the stakes are very high and both sides appear deeply entrenched,” political expert Azizi said.

“Without progress on core demands, diplomacy may only delay, not prevent, confrontation.”

Iran has vowed to respond to any attack.