Kamal Ghorui
US President Donald Trump said on Monday that there were “major points of agreement” with Iran following discussions over the weekend, as the two sides continue talks amid the ongoing conflict.Speaking to reporters in Palm Beach, Florida, Trump said the negotiations had been productive despite communication challenges.“We have had very, very strong talks. We’ll see where they lead. We have major points of agreement. I would say almost all points of agreement. Perhaps that hasn’t been conveyed. The communication, as you know, has been blown to pieces. They’re unable to talk to each other,” Trump said.
The US president also said the two sides were discussing a 15-point framework to end the conflict, adding that Iran giving up nuclear weapons was the top priority in the talks. He said the issue was covered in points “number one, two and three.”“It’s very hard for them to get out, I guess. But we’ll at some point very, very soon meet. We’re doing a five day period. We’ll see how that goes and if it goes well, we’re going to end up with sett this. Otherwise we just keep bombing our little hearts here,” Trump said.
Trump says US strikes stopped Iran’s nuclear push
Trump also said the United States had carried out strikes on Iran’s nuclear facilities using B-2 bombers to prevent Tehran from acquiring a nuclear weapon, claiming that Iran could have obtained one within weeks if the attack had not taken place.Trump described the operation as a “complete success,” adding that the strikes had hit the targets hard and that Iran had not been able to recover the capabilities since. He also claimed that several Iranian leadership figures had been killed and said the whereabouts of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s son were unknown.“I don’t really consider him the leader. We do have some leaders left. We think there are some representatives of the country left who will do a good job at governance,” Trump said.
Situation ‘a lot different’ from Russia-Ukraine war
Trump said the situation involving Iran was “a lot different” from Russia’s war in Ukraine, arguing that Tehran’s alleged pursuit of nuclear weapons posed a distinct threat to the Middle East and Israel.Speaking to reporters, Trump said Iran wanted to dominate the region and could have permanently threatened Israel if it had obtained nuclear weapons. He added that while he was “not a fan” of Russia’s actions in Ukraine either, the two situations were fundamentally different.“You’re talking about a country that has been evil for 47 years. They’ve been horrible. Death all over the world. Not just us. Look at the way they attacked unexpectedly all of those countries surrounding them. They were not supposed to. Nobody was even thinking about it. But they wanted to take over the Middle East and they wanted to knock out Israel permanently. If they had a nuclear weapon, they would have been able to,” Trump added.
Trump downplays Iran oil sanctions move, eyes $200b for Pentagon
Trump also downplayed a move to ease sanctions on certain Iranian oil stockpiles, saying the step was aimed at boosting supplies amid a worsening energy crisis and would not “have any difference” to the war, as cited by CNN.Trump also said oil prices would “drop like a rock” if a deal is reached to end the war with Iran.He also indicated that he would still seek $200 billion in funding for the Pentagon even if the war with Iran were to end, adding that “it’s always nice to have.”
