President Donald Trump on Wednesday stated that the United States seeks a "meaningful" and "effective" agreement with Iran, even as tensions in the Middle East continue to escalate. Speaking from the Oval Office, Trump emphasized America's military strength and claimed he had previously prevented a nuclear war between Iran and India at Pakistan's request.
Trump's Remarks on Iran Deal
"We have the strongest military in the world. And I gave them (Iran) a break at the request of Pakistan... We stopped them from going to war with India. You would have had a nuclear war if it weren't for me," Trump said. He added that Pakistan, which is close to Iran, is working to persuade Tehran to act appropriately. "But we want a deal that's meaningful. We want a deal that works," he asserted.
Warning over Nuclear Ambitions
Trump issued a stern warning regarding Iran's nuclear program, claiming that a nuclear-armed Iran would lead to the destruction of Israel and destabilize the entire Middle East region. He also noted that the United States had "hit them hard" and could strike again if necessary.
"If they (Iran) had a nuclear weapon, there'd be no Israel, there'd be no Middle East, and they would have absolutely shot at us. We'll see what happens. But we hit them hard yesterday. We're going to hit them again hard today. We'll see what happens with the deal," Trump said.
Criticism of Previous Administrations
The president criticized past US administrations for their handling of negotiations with Iran. "We were really close to a deal, but they keep tapping us along. They keep playing us for suckers because you know what? They dealt with some very stupid presidents... I'm embarrassed to say it. Some very stupid people were sitting here," he remarked.
Resumption of Attacks
Trump indicated that the United States would resume attacks on Iran. "We're going to be attacking them, attacking them very hard," he said. He cited the downing of a US Apache helicopter by Iran as justification for renewed military action. "Based on the helicopter, I guess we have the right to do that," he told reporters.
The president confirmed that the US had already launched strikes and would continue military operations. "We hit them hard yesterday. We're going to hit them again hard today, in case you miss it, in case you don't turn on your television set, and we'll see what happens with the deal," he said.
These comments come amid heightened tensions between Washington and Tehran, with diplomatic efforts remaining uncertain.
