Trump says no rush for Iran deal

The US president said Washington was making gradual progress in negotiations with Tehran and remained focused on preventing Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon.

"I'm in no hurry," Trump said during an interview with Fox News. "I'd like to say I'm in a hurry, because you know what, gasoline prices are going to come tumbling down, but if you're going to be in a hurry, you're not going to make a good deal."

He expressed confidence that negotiations were moving in Washington's favor. "Slowly but surely, we're getting, I think, what we want," Trump said.

Trump added that he would prefer a diplomatic settlement but warned that military action remained an option if talks failed.

"We're going to make a great deal, and if not, we'll just go back and finish it off militarily," Trump said. "I'd rather make a deal because it will save a lot of lives."

The president also described Iranian officials as "very tough negotiators" and reiterated that patience was necessary to achieve a successful outcome.

Reflecting on past US military interventions in the Middle East, Trump criticized the Iraq War, calling it "such a foolish thing."

"We shouldn't have been there in the first place," he said.

Trump also argued that the United States should not have become involved in Iran but claimed recent US military actions had prevented Tehran from acquiring a nuclear weapon.

"We shouldn't have been in Iran, but Iran has the capability," he said. "If we didn't hit them with B-2 bombers, nine months ago, they would have a nuclear weapon right now."

Earlier, Qazinform News Agency reported that US President Donald Trump said he would step back from leadership of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts after a federal judge ruled that the institution could not be renamed without congressional approval and temporarily blocked its planned closure.