Trump Says U.S. Is Moving Into Second Phase With Iran, Warns Tehran Over Nuclear Weapons
U.S. President Donald Trump said Washington was moving into a second phase with Iran, warning that Tehran must not develop, purchase or otherwise acquire nuclear weapons.
Speaking on the sidelines of the G7 summit in Évian-les-Bains, France, after meeting Qatar’s Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, Trump addressed the latest developments in the Middle East, including the U.S.-Iran understanding, Israel’s operations in Lebanon and the war in Ukraine.
Trump described the understanding reached with Iran as a “fair agreement” and said the United States had not agreed to provide Tehran with financial support.
“This is a good agreement,” Trump said. “By the way, we are not transferring any financial resources to Iran. We have no obligation to deposit money or provide financial assistance to Iran.”
Trump said the central issue for him was preventing Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons. He stressed that Tehran must not be allowed to possess a nuclear weapon under any circumstances.
According to Trump, the initial text of the agreement stated that Iran would not develop nuclear weapons, but he said he did not believe that language went far enough. He said he wanted the agreement to clearly rule out every possible path for Iran to obtain a nuclear weapon.
“They will not develop it, they will not buy it, and they will not do anything with it,” Trump said. “If they do, they will have to face unimaginable consequences.”
Trump argued that a nuclear-armed Iran would pose a direct threat to the stability of the Middle East.
“If they had nuclear weapons, they would destroy Israel,” he said. “They would also destroy the Middle East and probably attack us as well.”
Trump also said regime change in Iran had never been one of his objectives, adding that most regime-change efforts in the past had failed. He claimed that Iran’s leadership had suffered serious losses, but said the current diplomatic process involved what he called “extremely rational people.”
Trump Says Syria Could Handle Hezbollah Issue
Trump also addressed the conflict involving Hezbollah, which he described as a “small war” unfolding alongside the broader confrontation with Iran.
The U.S. president said he had taken “great responsibility” in Syria and praised Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa.
“The person currently running Syria is someone I put there together with President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and some others,” Trump said. “He has done an extraordinary job in bringing the country back together.”
Trump said al-Sharaa was handling Hezbollah “well,” while adding that the Syrian leader “does not like” the group.
Referring to Israel’s long-running conflict with Hezbollah, Trump said too many people had been killed and criticized the destruction caused by military operations in residential areas.
“You do not need to destroy an apartment building every time you call someone, because many people live in those apartments, and not all of them are Hezbollah members,” Trump said.
He added that he had advised Israel to allow Syria to take a greater role in dealing with Hezbollah.
“I suggested to Israel that Syria should handle the Hezbollah issue,” Trump said. “Honestly, I think they would do a better job.”
Trump Criticizes Israeli Strike on Beirut
Trump also criticized Israel’s June 14 strike on Beirut, the capital of Lebanon, saying he was unhappy with the timing and location of the attack.
“I did not like the fact that there was an attack in Beirut, Lebanon, two hours before we signed the agreement,” Trump said. “This attack happened in Beirut, not in the south of the country. I did not like it at all, and I made that clear.”
Trump said al-Sharaa had brought Syria together at “incredible speed” and suggested that Syria could play a role if Israel was unable to confront Hezbollah without causing wider civilian casualties.
“He is very talented and he has been very good to me,” Trump said of al-Sharaa. “He protected everything I wanted. If Israel cannot do this job without killing everyone, he will handle it. Syria will handle it.”
Trump also said Lebanon had once been a “great country” but was now in a “terrible” condition.
“I think Lebanon has been treated worse than any other country, and it cannot defend itself,” he said. “There is Hezbollah, and that is a problem for them. I am not happy with Israel’s attitude toward Lebanon and Hezbollah. They should have handled this faster.”
Trump said the situation in Lebanon had cast a negative shadow over the understanding reached with Iran.
“Bibi Has to Act More Responsibly on Lebanon”
Asked whether he was disappointed with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Trump answered, “No,” saying he still had a strong relationship with the Israeli leader.
However, Trump said Netanyahu needed to act more responsibly regarding Lebanon.
“Without us, without the United States, there would be no Israel,” Trump said. “Without me, there would be no Israel, because no president was willing to do what I did. I have a great relationship with Bibi, but now Bibi has to act more responsibly when it comes to Lebanon.”
Trump described his relationship with Netanyahu as “incredible” and said Israel would have faced far greater danger without his involvement.
“If I had not gotten involved in this, Israel would have been blown up long ago,” he said.
Trump also referred to Netanyahu’s past opposition to the Iran nuclear agreement pursued under former President Barack Obama, claiming that Obama had sided with Iran rather than Israel.
Trump to Meet Zelensky
Trump also said he would meet Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky later in the day.
Asked whether he would hold a separate meeting with Zelensky, Trump said the two leaders had already had a good meeting and would meet again.
“We had one meeting, and it was a good meeting,” Trump said. “I will meet with him later. We had a very good meeting.”
Trump said Russia should agree to a deal and claimed that Russia and Ukraine had lost a combined 35,000 soldiers in the previous month.
He also referred to a recent conversation with Russian President Vladimir Putin, saying it was similar in nature to his talks with Zelensky.
Trump said there was deep hostility between the two sides, but added that he still believed the war could be resolved.
“This has not happened since the Second World War,” Trump said. “I ended eight wars. This was the war I thought would be the easiest.”
Qatar Emir Highlights Regional Diplomacy
Qatar’s Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani thanked Trump for his leadership and said the Middle East was going through a critical period.
Al Thani said the understanding reached with Iran was important for regional stability, while stressing that much work remained to be done.
He said that if the current momentum continued, significant progress could be achieved in the region.
The Qatari emir also highlighted the strengthening of economic relations between Qatar and the United States following Trump’s visit to Qatar last year. He said the trade partnership between the two countries was expected to reach $1.2 trillion.
