President Donald Trump delivered a series of stunning remarks in a wide-ranging interview with The New York Times on Sunday, defending his emerging agreement with Iran, sharply criticizing Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu, and warning Tehran that military action remains on the table if negotiations collapse.
Speaking during a 28-minute phone interview initiated from the White House residence, Trump said his agreement with Iran would ultimately ensure that the Strait of Hormuz remains “permanently toll free,” allowing global commerce to flow freely.
The president also insisted that his decision to launch military strikes against Iran earlier this year, followed by a U.S. naval blockade after Tehran closed the Strait of Hormuz, had fundamentally reshaped the Middle East in America’s favor.
In one of his strongest public rebukes of Netanyahu to date, Trump accused the Israeli prime minister of nearly derailing the negotiations.
“He’s a very difficult guy,” Trump told The New York Times. “And to be honest with you, he should be very thankful to us for doing this. Because if Iran had a nuclear weapon, Israel wouldn’t be around for two hours.”
Despite the criticism, Trump argued that his diplomacy had ultimately protected Israel from an existential threat.
Trump also issued a blunt warning to Iran, saying that if the current negotiations fail to produce a final nuclear agreement, military force remains an option.
He said the United States would either resume attacks on Iran or become “the guardian of the Middle East” in exchange for 20 percent of the region’s revenues.
According to The New York Times, Trump said negotiations are expected to continue Friday in Switzerland, where U.S. officials hope to begin work on a final nuclear accord.
While celebrating the breakthrough, Trump acknowledged that key issues remain unresolved, including the duration of any suspension of Iran’s uranium enrichment program. He suggested Iran could agree to suspend enrichment for either 20 years or possibly 15 years, while insisting Iran would never again be permitted to enrich uranium to levels usable for nuclear weapons.
During the interview, Trump repeatedly contrasted the emerging agreement with the 2015 Obama-era nuclear deal, arguing that his arrangement would permanently prevent Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon.
Trump also praised Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin for their roles in helping facilitate the diplomatic breakthrough.
The interview concluded on a lighter note as Trump, speaking on his 80th birthday while family members gathered nearby for a celebration, joked about the possibility of rain interrupting an upcoming UFC event planned for the White House South Lawn.
“This happens in wartime,” he quipped.
(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)
