Trump Warns Iran at G7 Summit Over Nuclear Weapons
During his remarks at the G7 Summit in France, President Donald Trump issued a stark warning: if Iran tries to create or obtain a nuclear weapon following their peace agreement with the U.S., the consequences would be severe.
On Tuesday, he revealed that a memorandum of understanding had been electronically signed with Tehran, with a more formal signing anticipated on Friday in Switzerland. Following this ceremony, the detailed agreement will be made public, addressing a request from Congress for transparency.
“We have our deal done with Iran and it should be successful. It goes to a second stage, which I think will be actually easier,” Trump stated.
He reflected on recent military tensions, saying, “I didn’t want to attack them last week, but we had no choice. And we did it twice, actually. We were doing it a third time and we were able to not have to do that,” referring to U.S. strikes after Iran downed an Apache helicopter.
Despite these tensions, the Trump administration reached an agreement over the weekend.
“But we have a deal that’s a fair deal, that’s a good deal,” he explained. “The one thing that matters to me is that Iran will never have a nuclear weapon. It states it loud and clear—they’re not gonna develop it, they’re not gonna buy it, they’re not gonna do anything with it.”
Trump continued, “And if they do, they suffer unbelievable consequences. Not just a little bit, like — I won’t even tell you the consequences, but the consequences are the ultimate consequences. I hope we have a very good relationship. But the biggest thing is they will not have a nuclear weapon. … That’s why I agreed to sign.”
The issue of Iran’s nuclear program had initially stalled negotiations, particularly as Iran didn’t clearly commit to avoiding any future nuclear weapon purchases.
“They originally wrote that we will not develop a nuclear weapon. I said, ‘no, no, you’re not gonna develop it. You’re not gonna buy it, either.’ So … that took another couple of days of time. … They’re not going to acquire a nuclear weapon. If they do, all hell will rain down on them,” Trump remarked.
Since the initiation of Operation Epic Fury on February 28th, Trump has emphasized that the U.S. will not allow a nuclear weapon to come into the hands of Iran, a nation he views as the primary state sponsor of several militant proxy groups.
The longstanding tension between the U.S. and Iran notably dates back to 1979, linked to the Islamic revolution when 52 American diplomats were held hostage for over a year in Tehran as revolutionaries sought the return of their Shah.
