US President Donald Trump on Wednesday delivered a hardline message on Iran during remarks on ongoing negotiations to establish peace in the Middle East. Addressing a press conference alongside Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Secretary of War Pete Hegseth, Trump claimed that Tehran was negotiating from a position of extreme weakness and was seeking a deal with the US.
โWeโre doing really well with Iran. Their navy is gone, their air force is gone, everything is gone. Iran is negotiating on fumes,โ Trump said.ย
In a stark warning to Iran, Trump said the US faces two options โ securing a deal or, in his words, โfinishing the job.โ
Iran reeling under severe economic crisis
He painted a grim picture of Iranโs economy, saying the country is in โfree fall,โ alleging inflation has surged to 250 percent and claiming the Iranian currency has effectively lost its value.
โTheir whole economic system is broken down,โ he said.
Reiterating his long-standing position on Tehranโs nuclear ambitions, Trump declared that Iran โcannot have a nuclear weapon,โ adding, โThey would use it instantly. Iโm doing this for the world, not just for us.โ
Trump on Hormuz blockadeย
On the strategically critical Strait of Hormuz, Trump vowed that the key shipping route would remain open for everyone. He said the US will keep a watch on it but no country is going to control it.ย
Trump also rejected the possibility of sanctions relief as part of any nuclear agreement with Tehran. In comments to PBS News, he insisted Iran would have to surrender its highly enriched uranium without receiving economic concessions in return.
โNo, no, not at all. Not sanctions relief, no,โ Trump said. โTheyโre gonna give up their highly enriched uranium not for sanctions relief. No, no, not at all.โ
On being asked if the US will accept Iran handing over its enriched uranium to either Russia or China, Trump said he was not in favour of the move.ย ย
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