US ambassador to NATO warns the 'ball' is in Iran's 'court' as Trump confirms negotiations taking place
U.S. Ambassador to NATO Matt Whitaker said President Donald Trump has made clear demands of Iran, and that what happens next will be up to Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, as an American naval fleet patrols the region. He added that Trump "won’t wait forever" for his ultimatum to be met.
"The president has been very clear on Iran... you can't have a nuclear weapon, and you need to stop killing protesters in your streets," NATO Ambassador Matt Whitaker said Saturday on "The Big Weekend Show."
"That's a pretty clear red line."
TRUMP SAYS IRAN ALREADY HAS US TERMS AS MILITARY STRIKE CLOCK TICKS
Whitaker described the "armada that is sitting off the coast of Iran" as both a show of strength and an "off ramp." He said the Iranians "could de-escalate very easily and simply" by abandoning nuclear ambitions and halting the suppression of protests.
"We'll see. The ball is in their court," he said. "But you know, President Trump is not going to be forever patient on this."
He emphasized that Trump's aim was not to destabilize Iran amid reports that the president may be considering military action.
Trump said Saturday he believes Tehran is negotiating "seriously" with the U.S., and that he hopes an "acceptable" deal can be brokered.
On Sunday, however, the speaker of Iran’s parliament said the Islamic Republic now considers all European Union militaries to be terrorist groups after the bloc declared the country’s paramilitary Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps a terror group over its crackdown on nationwide protests.
This action has created concern that Iran might strike U.S. NATO allies should America attack again, following Operation Midnight Hammer, which targeted Iranian nuclear facilities in June.
Fox News Digital's Michael Sinkewicz contributed to this report.