WASHINGTON — An Israeli strike on Iran’s aboveground nuclear sites “could very well happen” soon, President Trump told reporters at the White House Thursday.

The president spoke after reports circulated late Wednesday that the Jewish state was getting ready to conduct operations to prevent Tehran from obtaining an atomic weapon.

“I don’t want to say imminent,” Trump said of the possibility of an Israeli attack, “but it looks like it’s something that could very well happen.

“Look, it’s very simple, not complicated,” the president said. “Iran cannot have a nuclear weapon. Other than that, I want them to be successful. I want them to be tremendous. We’ll help them be successful. We’ll trade with them. We’ll do whatever is necessary.”

Trump insisted he would still prefer a diplomatic deal, which his special Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff has been trying to negotiate.

“I’d much prefer an agreement, as long as I think there is an agreement, I don’t want [Israel] going in, because I think it would blow it,” he said. “Might help it, actually, but it also could blow it.”

Israel could go forward with the attack without US assistance, NBC News reported early Thursday, citing five sources familiar with the matter. 

Trump has expressed frustration with Iran over the lack of progress in the indirect talks, telling reporters Thursday that Tehran is “going to have to negotiate a little bit tougher, meaning they’re going to have to give us some things that they’re not willing to give us.”

In an interview with Post columnist Miranda Devine on the debut episode of “Pod Force One,” Trump said he was “less confident” about reaching an agreement than he had been a couple months earlier.

“It would be nicer to do it without warfare, without people dying, it’s so much nicer to do it,” the president said about winding down Iran’s nuclear program.

“But I don’t think I see the same level of enthusiasm for them to make a deal. I think they would make a mistake, but we’ll see. I guess time will tell.”

The official US position is that Iran can not have a uranium enrichment program for any reason, not even for civilian use. 

On Wednesday night, the president had confirmed that some US personnel were being moved out of the Middle East ahead of the potential Israeli strike.

“Well, they are being moved out because it could be a dangerous place, and we’ll see what happens,” Trump told reporters before attending a performance of “Les Miserables” at the Kennedy Center. “But they are — we’ve given notice to move out. We’ll see what happens.”