Trump is prepared to resume strikes against Iran should negotiations over the nuclear programme break down
US President Donald Trump stated during a telephone conversation with journalists from *The New York Times* that any future agreement with Iran must ensure that the Strait of Hormuz remains “permanently free of tolls”.
According to him, final negotiations on the nuclear deal between the United States and Iran could begin as early as Friday in Switzerland. Trump also noted that in the absence of a final agreement, the United States could resume military strikes against Tehran or, in his words, become the “guardian of the Middle East” in exchange for 20% of the region’s revenues.
The US president stated that his decision to launch strikes against Iran in late February and the subsequent naval blockade of Iranian ports following Tehran’s closure of the Strait of Hormuz had shifted the balance of power in the Middle East in the US’s favour.
Trump praised the actions of Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin, noting that they had helped to resolve the situation or, at the very least, had not hindered the blockade of the strait.
“He was a true gentleman,” Trump said of Xi Jinping, adding that China had not attempted to break the blockade.
At the same time, the US President spoke sharply about Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, stating that his actions had nearly derailed the final agreement.
“He is a very difficult person and, to be honest, he should be very grateful to us for having done this. Because if Iran had nuclear weapons, Israel wouldn’t last two hours,” Trump said.
The US President also described Iran’s current leadership, including the new Supreme Leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei, as pragmatic.
According to Trump, Iran and the US are continuing to discuss the issue of uranium enrichment. He noted that the parties are negotiating a possible 20-year suspension of enrichment, though he did not rule out a shorter period.
The US leader stated that in future, Iran would only be permitted to enrich uranium for non-military purposes.
Trump also emphasised that sanctions and Iran’s frozen assets would not be lifted until Tehran fulfilled its obligations.
The US President announced that in future Washington would cooperate with Iran on reducing the level of nuclear enrichment and managing the country’s stockpiles of enriched uranium.
Furthermore, he stated that the new agreement must include robust mechanisms to monitor Iran’s compliance with its nuclear obligations.
The conversation took place on the eve of Trump’s trip to the G7 summit in France. Following the announcement of the agreement, the leaders of France, Germany, Italy and the UK issued a joint statement in which they described the situation as an opportunity to restore regional stability and stabilise the global economy, and expressed their readiness to support the implementation of the agreements.
