Trump: 'I'd rather not tell you' about how close he is to decision on Iran strikes

By Michael Hernandez

WASHINGTON (AA) - US President Donald Trump played coy Friday when asked about how close he is to deciding on whether or not he will authorize strikes on Iran.

"I'd rather not tell you," Trump told reporters in Texas where he was preparing to deliver public remarks on energy. "You woulda had the greatest scoop in history, right?"

Asked what his message is for Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Trump said that "they should make a deal but they don’t want to quite go for it."

"Look, we've been playing with them for 47 years, and that's a long time, isn't it? And that's a long time blowing the legs off our people, blowing the face off our people, the arms. They've been knocking our ships one by one and every month there's something else. Can't put up with it," he said.

The president said earlier that additional talks with Iran were expected Friday, though additional details, including whether they concluded, were not immediately available.

"I'm not happy with the fact that they're not willing to give us what we have to have. I'm not thrilled with that. We'll see what happens. We're talking later. We will have some additional talks today," Trump told reporters before leaving for the southern state.

His remarks came one day after the third round of indirect negotiations between the delegations of the US and Iran concluded in Geneva.

Trump said he is "not happy" with the way Iran is negotiating.

"It would be wonderful if they'd negotiate in good faith and good conscience, but they are not getting there. So far, they're not getting there," he said.

Omani Foreign Minister Badr Albusaidi, the mediator, said he met Vice President JD Vance on Friday in Washington.

Albusaidi said he shared details of the negotiations between the US and Iran and the progress achieved.

"I am grateful for their engagement and look forward to further and decisive progress in the coming days. Peace is within our reach," he added.