President Trump announced Friday that the U.S. military is "locked and loaded" and ready to execute a "massive attack" on Iran. However, he indicated that he is "not in a hurry" to proceed with military action as diplomatic channels remain open.
"We're locked and loaded. We're ready to go. But we're talking to them. So maybe there will be, maybe there won't be a tipping point," Trump told reporters in the Oval Office.
Trump suggested that Iranian officials are demonstrating increased seriousness regarding a new agreement with the United States. This follows the collapse of a preliminary peace plan on June 17, which he attributed to continued Iranian attacks on commercial vessels in the Strait of Hormuz.
"I think they're getting more and more serious as the days go by, for maybe the obvious reason, but we are talking to them right now," Trump said. "We're talking to them. So I think while we're talking, we'll see what comes of it. Despite what everyone says about the [midterm] election, I'm not in a hurry."