Trump said US would 'finish the job' in Iran
Key Takeaways
- Trump preferred a deal with Iran.
- He warned of further military action.
- He said Iran would not get nuclear weapons.
The US president said Washington preferred a deal with Tehran but warned it could quickly target Iran's infrastructure if negotiations failed.
US President Donald Trump has said he still prefers a negotiated agreement with Iran but warned that the United States is prepared to launch further military action if diplomacy does not succeed.
Speaking about Iran, Trump said his administration's priority remained preventing Tehran from acquiring a nuclear weapon.
"I went in for one reason very strongly, that Iran cannot have a nuclear weapon," he said.
Trump also claimed the United States would take possession of Iran's enriched nuclear material.
"We're going to be getting the, as I call it, dust, the enriched material, nuclear dust, I call it. It seems to have taken off, but it's enriched material. We're getting it."
He said lower global oil prices reflected actions taken by the United States and argued that predictions of a sharp increase in oil prices had not materialised.
According to Trump, US naval operations disrupted maritime activity through the Strait of Hormuz by targeting Iranian capabilities.
"So we took them out late at night with no lights, with no nothing, and our great Navy, which did the greatest blockade anyone's ever seen. Not one ship got through in two months."
Trump said the blockade was later eased because negotiations were progressing.
"And we then freed up the blockade because we're close to maybe making a deal. I don't know."
Despite expressing hope for a diplomatic outcome, he warned that military action remained an option.
"Look, we're going to win one way or the other. We're either going to make a deal or we're going to finish the job, okay? And it won't be tough to finish the job."
Trump said he preferred an agreement because he did not want ordinary Iranians to suffer.
"I'd rather make a deal because I don't want to affect 91 million people."
He added that the United States had the capability to rapidly strike Iran's critical infrastructure if necessary.
"We can knock down their bridges in one hour. We can knock out their energy supply, all of those big plants that they built, big, beautiful, modern plants."
"We can knock out their electricity and power generating plants in, I would say, a small part of an afternoon. Every plant will be gone. And they know that. They know that."
This story is written and edited by the Global South World team, you can contact us here.
