Trump says he's 'not in a rush' to strike Iran but reiterates: 'Iran can’t have nuclear weapons'

Following a dramatic report claiming that Israel was poised to strike Iran next month before U.S. President Donald Trump intervened, Trump on Thursday partially confirmed the account, stressing that he wants to give diplomacy a chance before considering possible military action.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu responded to the report by emphasizing his anti-Iran credentials amid criticism from the opposition that he was “afraid” to attack Iran.

Speaking with reporters in the Oval Office during a visit from Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, Trump said he wouldn’t characterize his actions as having “waved off” the impending strikes.

“I’m not in a rush to do it,” he explained. “Iran has a chance to have a great country, and to live happily without death, and I’d like to see that. That’s my first option.”

After the NYT report, President Trump today responded that he wouldn't say he waved off an #Israel attack on #Iran's regime's nuclear program. It's that he isn't in a rush to do it. The president says we're not looking to take Iran's industry, their land. He reiterated that the… pic.twitter.com/7EWxCtHi7r

— Jason Brodsky (@JasonMBrodsky) April 17, 2025

“If there’s a second option,” he continued, “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.”

The Prime Minister's Office issued a response to the report on Thursday evening on behalf of Netanyahu.

“For over a decade, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has led the global campaign against Iran's nuclear program, even when the threat was belittled and labelled ‘political spin’, and the Prime Minister was called ‘paranoid’. The Prime Minister has led countless overt and covert operations in the campaign against Iran's nuclear program; it is only due to these operations that Iran does not currently possess a nuclear arsenal.”

“These actions have delayed Iran's nuclear program by approximately a decade, thanks to Prime Minister Netanyahu's persistence in withstanding great opposition both at home and abroad to his vigorous policy toward Iran. As the Prime Minister has made clear more than once: Israel will not allow Iran to obtain nuclear weapons.”

Several opposition leaders previously criticized Netanyahu after the report, with opposition leader Yair Lapid calling him “afraid” to strike Iran, and former Prime Minister Naftali Bennett accusing him of leaking the information as a way to justify not carrying out a strike on Iran.

However, Israeli officials cited by Channel 12 and Kan News blamed the Trump administration for the leak,

Security officials told Channel 12 that the leak could harm U.S.-Israel ties. “The details that were leaked are dramatic, and [the leak is] likely to harm the intimate relations with the US Administration.”

“The core of the secret as regards Iran was revealed,” the officials said, including “the method by which it would be carried out, the timing, coordination mechanisms, and the element of surprise. This constitutes real damage to Israeli interests in facing Iran.”

The report also cited Israeli diplomats expressing concern that the United States might agree to a “bad deal” with Iran in the ongoing nuclear talks.

According to Kan, Israel believes the plans to strike Iran were deliberately leaked as a means of pressuring and threatening Iran amid the ongoing negotiations.

Kan also reported that despite the Israeli strikes being halted, the U.S. has been sending huge shipments of heavy weapons to Israel in recent days in preparation for a possible military escalation.

On Wednesday and Thursday, nine large military transport planes carrying hundreds of bombs, reportedly including bunker-busters, touched down at Nevatim Airbase in southern Israel. Earlier in the week, dozens of planes delivered heavy MK-84 bombs and new interceptor missiles for the U.S. THAAD air defense batteries deployed in Israel.