US President Donald Trump on Wednesday stated that the United States might pursue the de-nuclearisation of Iran without any formal agreement, accusing Tehran of repeatedly breaching commitments made during earlier negotiations. He made the remarks during a meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on the sidelines of the 2026 NATO Summit in Ankara, Turkiye.
Trump criticises JCPOA as a 'terrible deal'
Trump criticised the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), the 2015 nuclear agreement negotiated under the Obama administration, calling it the "Obama nuclear waste deal." He claimed it caused "tremendous hardship in the Middle East" and described his own proposed approach as a "wall to a nuclear weapon" in contrast to what he called a "road to a nuclear weapon" under the JCPOA.
"They'll never build a nuclear weapon under our deal. But I don't know if we're going to have a deal. We may just do it without a deal because, you know what, it's easier because these people, they lie and they cheat and you have an agreement and they'll go outside," Trump said.
Trump declares ceasefire agreement with Iran over
Earlier on Wednesday, Trump announced that the ceasefire agreement with Iran had effectively concluded for him, declaring he no longer wished to engage in diplomatic dealings with Tehran. He stated, "To me, I think it's over. I don't want to deal with them anymore. They're scum... They're led by sick people... I'll speak to our negotiators. They want to negotiate - they're good people... but they have to come back to me. As far as I'm concerned, it's just a waste of time dealing with them."
Accusations of Iranian deception
During his meeting with Zelenskyy, Trump accused Iranian leaders of publicly agreeing to restrictions on their nuclear programme while later denying or disputing the discussions. "For instance, they agreed, well, we'll never have a nuclear weapon. They agreed. Then they go outside, they have a news conference or they leak that we never discuss the subject," he said.
Background on JCPOA and US withdrawal
The JCPOA was finalised in July 2015, imposing strict, verifiable restrictions on Iran's nuclear programme in exchange for relief from economic sanctions. Trump withdrew the United States from the agreement in 2018, arguing that it did not sufficiently prevent Iran from developing nuclear capabilities. His latest comments signal a potential shift toward unilateral action without a formal diplomatic framework.
