ERBIL, Kurdistan Region of Iraq – United States President Donald Trump on Wednesday said that they have “run out” of patience with Iran, asking for Tehran’s “unconditional surrender,” while noting that the upcoming week will be “very big” in regard to the Iran-Israel conflict.

Tensions have escalated between Iran and Israel in recent days, after Israel launched a large-scale offensive early Friday, targeting Iranian nuclear and military facilities across the country, killing dozens of high-profile military commanders and nuclear scientists.

Iran has responded to the strikes, firing hundreds of ballistic missiles and drones toward Israeli territories, most of which have been intercepted by Israel’s air defenses.

“War is very complex. A lot of bad things can happen. A lot of turns made… I wouldn’t say that we won anything yet. I would say that we sure as hell made a lot of progress, and we’ll see. The next week is going to be very big – maybe less than a week. Maybe less,” Trump told reporters on Wednesday.

Citing European and Middle Eastern officials, the Wall Street Journal on Monday reported that Iran has signaled its desire to resume nuclear talks and end the hostilities in messages conveyed to the US through Arab intermediaries.

The American president on Wednesday said that Iran has reached out for negotiations, but claimed that he has responded by saying: “It's very late to be talking… There is a big difference between now and a week ago.”

When asked whether the US will join Israel in striking Iran, Trump responded: “I may do it, I may not do it… Nobody knows what I’m going to do.”

“I can tell you this, that Iran’s got a lot of trouble. And they want to negotiate. And I say why didn’t you negotiate with me before all this death and destruction,” he added.

The escalations came days before Tehran and Washington were set to enter a sixth round of nuclear talks, mediated by Oman. The meeting was cancelled in light of the attacks.

Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on Wednesday described the Israeli attack as a “foolish and malicious aggression,” asserting that Iran will stand firm against an “imposed war,” and warned that any US military intervention in the Iran-Israel war will cause them “irreparable damage.”