Rubio: No deadline for Iran talks, military strikes remain an option

President Donald Trump stated on Saturday that while the United States has knocked out much of Iran's military and nuclear program, the U.S. still needs to "take care of" one or two remaining targets. Speaking to reporters at his Florida residence, Trump identified a suspected underground nuclear site known as Pickaxe Mountain as a potential target, though the Iranian government has denied any nuclear work is conducted there. Trump noted that such targets could be addressed "all very quickly" in ten minutes.

According to the Times of India, Trump spoke by telephone with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Saturday as Washington assessed options for potentially resuming military operations against Iran. This follows reports that Trump discussed possible military action with senior commanders at the White House earlier in the week. While Trump maintained that negotiations to end the war initiated by the U.S. and Israel in late February are going well, he described the negotiations as "not very reliable."

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said that talks with Iran have never stopped and that the president has not yet made a decision regarding fresh strikes. Rubio stated that Washington remains open to a diplomatic solution that addresses U.S. security concerns. Meanwhile, The Times of Israel reported that the Iranian security chief is considering lifting a ban on nuclear weapons.

Brief written by urgent.news from The Times of Israel, The Korea Times, Free Malaysia Today, Gulf News, Times of India — 5 reports on this story. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.