U.S. President Donald Trump said Thursday that he may have to destroy the rest of Iran, though he would prefer not to.
– We’ve been in Iran for seven months, and we control everything we wanted to control. Now we will make a decision: Do we want to go further and simply seal the deal, so that something like this never happens again? – Trump told reporters in the Oval Office.
– I think it will take them 25 years to rebuild the country. If possible, I would rather not destroy the rest of the country, but I may have to do it. You’ll find out soon – he added.
The president again insisted that Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth is “doing a great job.” Earlier in the day, he said that people he talks to were encouraging him to dismiss Hegseth. He declared, however, that his intention is to keep him in the post.
Asked about proposals that mediators have presented to Iran on the future of its nuclear program, Trump replied: – They don’t do anything without our approval.
On Thursday, The New York Times reported that Iran is reviewing “specific proposals” on its nuclear program.
Mohsen Rezaei, head of Iran’s security services, said this week that Iran will not enter talks on its nuclear program until the U.S. accepts Tehran’s demands. But according to the Times, behind the scenes he has shown greater openness to discussing the matter.
According to the newspaper, Iran is now reviewing a set of proposals presented by mediators that could determine the future of its nuclear program. This could represent a breakthrough in diplomatic efforts to date to end the conflict with the United States.
Officials say Iran’s willingness to return to nuclear talks – after weeks of no concessions at all – indicates that Qatar’s mediation efforts, aimed at preventing a return to full-scale war, have been partly successful. They described the terms under review as “specific proposals” but gave no details.
One of the main points of contention in the negotiations is the future of Iran’s stockpile of highly enriched uranium.
From Washington, Natalia Dziurdzińska (PAP)
