(BSS/AFP) - President Donald Trump said the United States will "lead the pack" in attacking Iran if talks over Tehran`s nuclear program do not result in a new deal, according to a Time Magazine interview.

The US president -- in the interview conducted April 22 and published Friday
-- nonetheless expressed hope that such a deal could be reached, while also
saying he was open to meeting Iran`s supreme leader or president face-to-
face.

"It`s possible we`ll have to attack because Iran will not have a nuclear
weapon," Trump told Time.

The renewed threat comes as Washington and Tehran continue talks over the
clerical state`s nuclear program, with a third round slated for Saturday in
Oman.

Both sides expressed optimism at the end of the last meeting in Rome, without
providing any details.

The negotiations have thus far excluded Iran`s arch-foe Israel, though Trump
on Tuesday said after a call with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu
that "we are on the same side of every issue."

Trump, asked by Time about reports he had blocked Israel from conducting a
unilateral attack against Iran, replied: "That`s not right."

"I didn`t stop them. But I didn`t make it comfortable for them, because I
think we can make a deal without the attack," he said.

"Ultimately I was going to leave that choice to them, but I said I would much
prefer a deal than bombs being dropped."

Trump denied that he was worried about Netanyahu dragging the United States
into war with Iran, saying: "He may go into a war. But we`re not getting
dragged in."

However, Trump added he "may go in very willingly if we can`t get a deal."

"If we don`t make a deal, I`ll be leading the pack," Trump told Time.

Trump in 2018 tore up a nuclear deal with Iran negotiated under president
Barack Obama and reimposed sweeping sanctions on Teheran.

Western powers and Israel, considered by experts the only nuclear-armed state
in the Middle East, have long accused Tehran of seeking nuclear weapons.

Iran has always denied the charge, insisting its nuclear program is for
civilian purposes only.

Asked if he would be willing to meet with Iran`s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali
Khamenei or President Masoud Pezeshkian, Trump replied: "Sure."