Trump warns of renewed military strikes if Iran fails to reach final nuclear deal: Report
Deal reached with Iran would ultimately assure that Strait of Hormuz is 'permanently toll free,' US president tells New York Times
US President Donald Trump told The New York Times on Sunday that if Iran failed to reach a final nuclear accord with the United States, he would restart military attacks on Tehran.
In an interview, Trump said if Iran did not reach the nuclear agreement with the US — a process his aides say they expect will begin on Friday in Switzerland — he would restart military attacks on Iran or make the US “the guardian of the Middle East” in return for 20% of the region’s revenues.
He also said the agreement he reached with Iran would ultimately assure that the Strait of Hormuz is “permanently toll free."
Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif announced early Monday that the US and Iran have reached a peace agreement following intensive negotiations, with both sides declaring an immediate and permanent end to military operations across all fronts, including in Lebanon.
Trump later confirmed the deal, saying it is “now complete.”
"Congratulations to all! I hereby fully authorize the toll free opening of the Strait of Hormuz, and, simultaneously herewith, authorize the immediate removal of the United States Naval blockade. Ships of the World, start your engines. Let the oil flow!" he wrote on his Truth Social platform.
During the interview with The New York Times, Trump said the deal was reached despite objections from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Israeli warplanes bombed Beirut’s southern suburbs early Sunday, killing at least three people and injuring 15 despite an ongoing ceasefire. Trump criticized Israel for the attack, saying it “should not have happened” when the US and Iran are nearing a peace deal.
“He’s a very difficult guy,” he said, referring to Netanyahu, “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.”
The US and Israel launched strikes against Iran on Feb. 28, prompting retaliation from Tehran against US allies in the Gulf and the closing of the Strait of Hormuz. A ceasefire was announced on April 8 through Pakistani mediation.
Trump said during the interview that his decision to attack Iran in late February and the US naval blockade of its ports after Tehran closed the strait had remade the Middle East in America’s favor.
Although the full terms of the agreement have yet to be released, his comments appeared to reference commitments from Iran that have either not been formally accepted or remain subject to future negotiations, the report said.
The memorandum of understanding suspends tolls in the strait for 60 days and then promises a regional dialogue about the future.
Throughout the interview, The New York Times reported that Trump contrasted his agreement with the 2015 accord reached under the Obama administration, maintaining that the new framework would assure that Iran “cannot develop or purchase a nuclear weapon.”
Yet the commitment was not a new one. Iran accepted the obligation to forgo nuclear weapons when it ratified the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty in 1970 and reiterated that pledge in the opening provisions of the 2015 nuclear agreement negotiated under then-President Barack Obama.
Throughout the three months of negotiations, which were led by the president's special envoy Steve Witkoff and Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner, Iranian officials repeatedly maintained that Tehran would not relinquish what it considers its treaty-based right to enrich uranium for civilian purposes.
According to The New York Times, Trump said they were still negotiating over whether Iran would suspend its enrichment for 20 years. The president also hinted that he might settle for a 15-year suspension but said Iran would be forever limited to enriching at low levels that “could never be used by the military.”
The Obama administration's agreement imposed similar restrictions on Iran's nuclear activities and capped uranium enrichment at low levels. But after Trump withdrew the US from the accord in 2018, Iran gradually exceeded the deal's limits, expanding its enrichment program and eventually producing uranium enriched to 60% purity.
