The President said that he wants to avoid a conflict, and that Iran would have to negotiate a little tougher to get a deal.

President Donald Trump on Thursday revealed that an Israeli strike on Iran is possible but said that he would not call it imminent, as the U.S. government began evacuating non-essential staff from the Middle East.

During an address at the White House while announcing the termination of California’s EV mandate, President Trump reiterated that Iran could not be allowed to develop a nuclear weapon.

“I don't want to say imminent, but it looks like it's something that could very well happen,” Trump said while answering a question. “It’s very simple, not complicated. Iran cannot have a nuclear weapon.”

He added that besides the nuclear question, he wants Iran to be successful. “We’ll trade with them, we’ll do whatever is necessary.”

The President said that he wants to avoid a conflict, and that Iran would have to negotiate a little tougher to get a deal.

“They're going to have to give us something they're not willing to give us right now,” Trump said.

This comes after Trump told reporters on Wednesday that his administration ordered the evacuation of non-essential personnel from the Middle East because it “could be a dangerous place.”

Despite the rising tensions in the Middle East, crude oil prices declined on Thursday, with the West Texas Intermediate futures falling as much as 2%.

The President has threatened to strike Iran if nuclear deal talks with the country fail. He reportedly said he had grown less confident that Iran would yield to a key U.S. demand, which is that Tehran stops enriching uranium.

A senior Iranian official shot back, stating that the country will not compromise on its right to enrich uranium.

Meanwhile, the U.S. equity markets edged up on Thursday.

The SPDR S&P 500 ETF (SPY), which mirrors the S&P 500 index, was up 0.12% at the time of writing.

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