Following U.S. and Israeli strikes targeting Iran’s nuclear facilities, Trump said, ‘I don’t care if I have an agreement’ restraining Iran’s nuclear program.
Iranian and U.S. representatives are set to hold talks next week, President Donald Trump said on June 25, following the conclusion of a 12-day armed conflict involving Iranian, Israeli, and U.S. forces.
“We’re going to talk with them next week, with Iran. We may sign an agreement, I don’t know,” Trump said at a press conference during the NATO alliance summit in the Netherlands.
The Trump administration had engaged in several rounds of talks with Iran over the spring, seeking an agreement to curb Tehran’s nuclear ambitions.
A deal between the United States and Iran had proven elusive. On June 13, Israeli forces launched surprise attacks across Iran, aiming to cripple it’s nuclear programs and offensive military capabilities.
Following the Israeli attack, Iranian representatives canceled a set of June 14 talks with U.S. representatives, and Iran began firing retaliatory missile and drone barrages at Israel.
Trump eventually ordered the U.S. military to wade into the mix, directing an around-the-world bomber strike against three Iranian facilities, including Iran’s subterranean Fordow uranium enrichment facility, which had been difficult for Israeli forces to damage with their weapons.
Trump has cast the overall bombing mission as a resounding success that has severely damaged Iran’s nuclear program.
Following what he characterized as a “weak” and choreographed retaliatory Iranian missile barrage against a U.S. military base in Qatar, Trump called for an end to the Middle East conflict.
Even as he announced the upcoming U.S.–Iran talks, Trump questioned whether it would even be necessary.
“I don’t care if I have an agreement or not. The only thing we’d be asking for is what we were asking for before. We want no nuclear, but we destroyed the nuclear,” the president said.
This is a developing report and will be updated with additional details.
By Ryan Morgan
