US President Donald Trump considered pulling out of negotiations with Iran due to what was described as Iran’s “aggressive" behavior in the Persian Gulf, The Wall Street Journal reported on Tuesday, citing several senior US officials.
However, the report noted that the talks scheduled for later this week are still expected to take place. It did not provide details on what ultimately persuaded Trump to go ahead with the talks.
The Iranian aggression in question included firing a drone, which was shot down by a US Navy fighter jet as it was approaching the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln in the Arabian Sea.
That incident occurred only hours after Iranian forces harassed a US-flagged and US-crewed merchant vessel sailing through the Strait of Hormuz.
The Shahed-139 drone was shot down by an F-35C launched from the Lincoln, which was operating about 500 miles from Iran’s southern coast. No American personnel were harmed and no US equipment was damaged.
Despite the provocation, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said talks between special envoy Steve Witkoff and Iranian officials were still planned. “President Trump is always wanting to pursue diplomacy first, but obviously it takes two to tango," she said. “As always, though, of course, the president has a range of options on the table with respect to Iran."
Commenting on the talks with Iran, Trump told reporters on Tuesday that the United States is currently negotiating with Iran, adding he could not say at this time where the negotiations will take place.
“They are negotiating. They'd like to do something, and we'll see if something is going to be done," Trump said.
“They had a chance to do something a while ago, and it didn't work out. And we did Midnight Hammer. I don't think they want that happening again," he continued, referring to the US strikes on Iran’s nuclear facilities last June. “But they would like to negotiate. We are negotiating with them right now, yes."
Asked where the meeting will be, Trump replied, “I can't tell you that."