Trump announces meeting with Iran: What the president expects from talks
Photo: US President Donald Trump (Getty Images)
The US will meet with Iran next week to discuss a potential nuclear deal, although President Donald Trump does not consider the agreement "necessary," CNN informs.
"We’re going to talk to them next week, with Iran. We may sign an agreement, I don’t know. To me, I don’t think it’s that necessary. I mean, they had a war, they fought, now they’re going back to their world. I don’t care if I have an agreement or not," Trump said.
At a press conference following the NATO summit in The Hague, he also noted that his administration would demand the same commitments from Iran as it did during previous negotiations.
"The only thing we would be asking for is what we were asking for before," Trump added.
He emphasized that he doesn’t see such a deal as necessary, since in his view, the US has already successfully destroyed Iran’s nuclear capabilities, despite earlier intelligence assessments suggesting otherwise.
"We want no nuclear, but we destroyed the nuclear. In other words, it’s destroyed. I said, ‘Iran will not have nuclear.’ Well, we blew it up. It’s blown up to kingdom come, and so I don’t feel very strongly about it. If we got a document, it wouldn’t be bad. We’re going to meet with them," the president stressed.
Trump also expressed confidence that the US would be able to pressure the Iranians into signing such a document.
Israel-Iran war
Earlier this month, Israel launched missile strikes on Iranian territory, primarily targeting nuclear infrastructure.
Some of the targeted facilities were located deep underground, and to strike them, Israel sought support from the US, as only American bunker-busting bombs were capable of penetrating such fortified uranium enrichment sites.
On the night of June 22, US aircraft ultimately struck Iran. The US targeted nuclear facilities in Fordow, Natanz, and Isfahan.
Since the beginning of his term, US President Donald Trump has been trying to secure a nuclear deal with Iran. The two sides have already held several rounds of talks, but the negotiations have reached a deadlock.
In early May, Secretary of State Marco Rubio stated that for a deal to be reached, Iran must abandon uranium enrichment and the development of long-range missiles, as well as allow American inspectors access to its facilities.
