Trump Says He’ll ‘Lead the Pack’ to War With Iran If Diplomatic Deal Fails

Donald Trump is back in the global spotlight, this time making it clear that he’s all in for a diplomatic fix with Iran—unless, of course, things fall apart. If negotiations don’t pan out, Trump says he’ll be "leading the pack" to war against the Iranian regime.

In an interview published Friday, Trump expressed confidence about brokering a deal, but didn’t hold back criticism, claiming President Joe Biden had allowed Iran to "become rich." He shrugged off concerns about Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu dragging the U.S. into a conflict, stating, "We’re not getting dragged in. If we don’t make a deal, I’ll be leading the pack." Nothing like a little pep talk before potentially jumping into the world’s stickiest hornet’s nest.

Trump also addressed reports claiming he stopped Netanyahu from striking Iran during a recent Oval Office meeting. "That’s not right," he said, clarifying that while he didn’t exactly make it comfortable for Israel to attack, he preferred a deal over military action. Still, he left the final call to Netanyahu, highlighting that Iran "will not have a nuclear weapon" on his watch.

Meanwhile, U.S. officials are heading to Oman for fresh talks with Iranian representatives, hoping to halt Tehran’s nuclear progress. Iran’s uranium enrichment is edging closer to weapons-grade, sitting at 60%—just a whisker away from the 90% threshold needed for a bomb.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio added that any civil-use uranium for Iran should be imported, not produced domestically, tightening those already tense restrictions. Netanyahu, on a recent call with Trump, said he’s open to diplomacy—but only if it wipes out Iran’s nuclear ambitions entirely.

Looking ahead, Trump will visit the Middle East next month, including stops in Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates. Ever the optimist, he believes he can pull off a normalization deal between Israel and Saudi Arabia, saying, "I think Saudi Arabia will go into the Abraham Accords. I think it will be full very quickly." If Trump’s travel schedule had frequent flyer miles, he’d be flying to Mars by now.