JERUSALEM — If an agreement with Iran to limit its nuclear program proves elusive, the United States could spearhead military action against it, President Donald Trump said in an interview published Friday.

Trump’s comments, in an interview with Time magazine marking his first three months in office, came as American and Iranian officials were set to meet for the third consecutive Saturday in an effort to reach an agreement that would prevent Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon. After being asked if he was worried that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel might drag him into a war with Iran, Trump said, “I 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 has said he thought the talks between the United States and Iran were going well, but officials on both sides have not achieved a breakthrough.

Netanyahu has expressed openness to diplomacy if it leads to the full dismantling of Iran’s nuclear program — a demand that Iranian officials have rejected.

— The New York Times