During a press briefing in the Oval Office at the White House, US President Donald Trump mentioned that if a military option is considered against Iran, Israel would also be involved in the process.

Trump stated that in the event of Tehran not abandoning its nuclear program, an attack on Iran could be possible, with Israel taking the lead in such an operation. Trump’s comments came just hours before the scheduled talks between the US and Iran in Oman over the weekend.

While the US President insisted that the talks would be held “directly,” Iran had been insistent on a “indirect” format for the meeting.

The US has long been concerned about Tehran acquiring a practical nuclear weapon. In 2015, countries led by the US had reached a long-term, comprehensive nuclear deal with Iran that limited the country’s uranium enrichment activities in exchange for lifting economic sanctions against Tehran.

However, Trump unilaterally withdrew the US from this nuclear deal in 2018, describing it as the “worst deal ever.”