Asked about the US attack on an elementary school in Minab, at the start of the war with Iran, which killed 152 people, most of them children and teachers, Trump replied that “no one did it on purpose”
Donald Trump announced this Wednesday that the agreement reached between the United States and Iran should be signed “soon”, stating that the understanding “achieves everything we intended and much more” and guarantees that Tehran will never obtain a nuclear weapon.
Speaking to journalists on the sidelines of the G7 summit in France, the North American president stated that the memorandum of understanding should be signed “tomorrow, perhaps the next day” and revealed that he intends to distribute copies of the document, the signing of which is scheduled for Friday, in Switzerland.
Despite considering the agreement “very positive”, Trump warned that the United States could attack Iran again if negotiations are not concluded within 60 days.
According to Trump, Iran has already agreed not to develop nuclear weapons, something that he guaranteed will be made explicit in the agreement. The US president also once again criticized the 2015 nuclear agreement, negotiated during Barack Obama’s presidency, classifying it as “terrible” and as “a path to obtaining a nuclear weapon”.
“Let’s call it the Trump deal,” he said, maintaining that the new understanding represents “an insurmountable barrier against a nuclear weapon.”
Trump also defended that the agreement ends the conflict, reopens the Strait of Hormuz and avoids a military escalation that could have lasted weeks or even years.
Trump also praised the new Iranian leadership, describing it as “very intelligent” and “much less radicalized.”
“I can do it, but it is a memorandum of understanding. It is very important, but it may not be the type of document I should sign,” he said.
Faced with the chance that Vance would be the one traveling to Switzerland, he jokingly replied, “I like that idea. Of course. So if it works out, I’ll take credit. If it goes wrong, I’ll blame JD.”
“Be careful, JD! He’s going to turn the plane around and get out of here quickly,” he added.
Criticism of Israel and calls for containment in Lebanon
Trump praised Benjamin Netanyahu, whom he described as “a very competent man” and a “fantastic prime minister”, but admitted he had differences with the Israeli leader over the strategy pursued in Lebanon.
“He gets a little enthusiastic sometimes,” he said, adding that he had advised Netanyahu to adopt a more moderate approach. “I tell him, ‘You can take a softer approach. Maybe you don’t need to destroy a building every time someone from Hezbollah enters it.'”
The American president stated that Israel is a “good partner”, but considered that it “could do more” in relation to Hezbollah.
Trump also said he felt “very sad for Lebanon” and praised the country’s past, describing it as a society that for decades was a center of excellence in many areas.
“It was an incredible culture, perhaps the highest in the Middle East for years and years, centuries. And in the last 50 or 60 years, it has been devastated. They have been living in hell,” he said.
Asked about the incident, at the start of the war with Iran, which caused the deaths of 152 people, most of them children and teachers, Trump said that the case continues to be investigated. When confronted with the possibility of someone in the administration being held responsible, he responded that “no one did it on purpose.”
