Trump suggests Israel strikes could prompt Iran to 'negotiate seriously'

President Donald Trump on Friday suggested that Israel's strikes on Iran could force Tehran to the negotiating table rather than disrupt nuclear talks.

"I don't think so. Maybe the opposite. Maybe now they will negotiate seriously," he told Axios when pressed on the prospect of upending nuclear talks.

Trump's comments appear to mark a reversal of his sentiment from Thursday, when he remarked that an Israeli strike could undermine the talks. Israeli officials have insisted Trump was merely pretending to oppose a strike to fool Iran.

Reports earlier in the day indicated that Tehran had suspended planned nuclear negotiations with the U.S. in Oman. Special envoy Steve Witkoff had been set to meet with an Iranian delegation on Sunday, though that meeting could still occur.