President Trump
Donald TrumpDemocrats defeat GOP effort to declare 'lost confidence' in Biden after Afghanistan withdrawal Prosecutors say Jan. 6 rioters committed roughly 1,000 assaults on federal officers Texas emerges as new battleground in abortion fight MORE in an interview broadcast Sunday expressed willingness to speak with Iranian officials without preconditions while warning of the consequences of war.
"I'm not looking for war, and if there is, it'll be obliteration like you've never seen before. But I'm not looking to do that. But you can't have a nuclear weapon," Trump told NBC’s Chuck Todd
Charles (Chuck) David ToddSunday shows - Impending Afghanistan withdrawal deadline dominates McMaster: Afghanistan War 'ended in self-defeat' Fauci: US still planning booster shots after eight months, but 'flexible' MORE on "Meet the Press."
Asked if this would include preconditions, Trump said, "Not as far as I'm concerned. No preconditions."
WATCH: President Trump tells Chuck Todd that he wants to talk with Iran with “no pre-conditions.” #MTP #IfItsSunday pic.twitter.com/rahOnNk4I6
— Meet the Press (@MeetThePress) June 23, 2019
Trump also said he did not send a message to Tehran warning of an attack.
"I did not send that message," Trump said. "I’m not looking for war."
He also said he thinks Iran wants to negotiate.
"And I think they want to make a deal. And my deal is nuclear. Look, they’re not going to have a nuclear weapon," he added. "I don’t think they like the position they’re in. Their economy is, is absolutely broken."
In the same interview, Trump called his national security adviser John Bolton
John BoltonJuan Williams: Biden is right on Afghanistan The Hill's Morning Report - Presented by AT&T - Biden defends Afghanistan exit; Taliban talk 'amnesty' Want to evaluate Donald Trump's judgment? Listen to Donald Trump MORE “absolutely a hawk” and said he wanted “hawks” and “doves” equally represented in his administration.
“If it was up to [Bolton], he'd take on the whole world at one time, OK? But that doesn't matter because I want both sides,” Trump told Todd.
Trump reportedly ordered and then canceled a retaliatory strike on Iran last week in response to Iran shooting down an unmanned U.S. surveillance drone it claimed was in Iranian airspace. Trump has claimed he canceled the strike after being told it would likely kill 150 people.
The canceled strike follows months of mounting tensions between Washington and Tehran, including attacks on two oil tankers in the Gulf of Oman that the U.S. blamed on Iran. Iran denied responsibility.
This report was updated at 1:28 p.m.
