Evian [France], June 16 (ANI): US President Donald Trump on Tuesday warned Iran that “all hell will rain down” if the Islamic Republic intends to acquire a nuclear weapon during a high-stakes bilateral
meeting with the Emir of Qatar, Sheikh Tamim Bin Hamad Al-Thani, on the sidelines of the G7 summit in France. The crucial bilateral meeting in the French town of Evian-les-Bains laid bare an intricate diplomatic tango, with Trump leaning heavily on Qatar’s strategic heft to lock down the deal, while simultaneously taking sharp, unprecedented aim at Israel’s military conduct in Lebanon. At the very heart of the discussions was the freshly minted agreement with Iran, designed to shut the door permanently on its nuclear aspirations. Underscoring the absolute red line of the agreement, President Trump announced that the deal explicitly specifies that Tehran will not possess a nuclear weapon. “The only thing that really matters to me is Iran will never have a nuclear weapon, and it says it loud and clear,” Trump told reporters, leaving no room for ambiguity. Yet, even while championing the diplomatic victory and threatening absolute devastation should Tehran default on its word, the US President reflected on the raw military friction that forced the parties to the negotiating table. Trump recalled the recent strikes, noting, “I didn’t want to attack them last week, but we had no choice,” before expressing immense satisfaction with the subsequent agreement reached afterwards. Throughout the multi-front crisis, Washington found an indispensable anchor in Doha. Trump was effusive in his praise for the Gulf nation’s steadfastness, active mediation and geographic proximity to the flashpoint during the bilateral meeting. “We are very, very impressed with Qatar and the way they handled things,” the US President remarked. “Working with Qatar and the people of Qatar was really a pleasure. They were tough, they were strong. You know they are the closest to Iran physically,” Trump added, highly commending the country’s “great bravery”. Doha’s backchannel diplomacy has been a lifeline for regional stability since 28 February, when the US and Israel launched an unprovoked attack on Iran. Reaffirming Qatar’s role as a trusted global interlocutor and its deep strategic partnership with Washington, Sheikh Tamim told the US President at a press briefing, “Whenever friends ask us to help, we’re always here to help.” Welcoming the historic agreement, Qatar’s Emir Sheikh Tamim Bin Hamad Al-Thani emphasised that the US-Iran agreement will result in positive outcomes throughout the Middle East, directly crediting Trump’s high-stakes diplomacy for pulling the region back from the brink of total war. “I want to thank you for your leadership in this very critical time in the Middle East. This is a very important deal, there’s still a lot of work to be done, but with this momentum – if we continue like that, Mr President – I think we can achieve and do great things in the region,” Sheikh Tamim told Trump at the summit. Qatar’s leader further noted that while Washington’s deal with Tehran is critical for regional security, it is also “very important” for Iran. However, the tone shifted dramatically as President Trump turned his spotlight towards Tel Aviv, unleashing a wave of blunt, public frustration over independent Israeli military actions that threatened to blow up the sensitive diplomatic timeline. Trump revealed his deep annoyance at an Israeli airstrike in Lebanon executed just as the deal was being closed, stating he “didn’t like” Israel’s attack on Beirut two hours before the signing of the agreement with Iran. “I let them know that. I didn’t like that, not at all,” Trump underscored, exposing a rare, visible rift between Washington and its closest ally over the timing of the strike. Expanding his critique into a broader condemnation of Israel’s current military operations in Lebanon, Trump argued that the campaign has been fighting Hezbollah “too long and too many people are being killed”. In an unusually sharp takedown of Israel’s urban warfare strategies, the US President called out the high civilian toll in residential areas. “You don’t have to knock down an apartment house every time you’re looking for somebody because there’s a lot of people in those apartment houses – and they’re not all Hezbollah,” Trump stated candidly. In a highly unexpected geopolitical curveball, Trump revealed he had even suggested a completely different regional enforcer to contain the cross-border threat. “I suggested to Israel to let Syria take care of Hezbollah because, to be honest with you, I think they’d do a better job of doing it,” Trump added. Despite the escalating friction with Tel Aviv, when asked whether the fragile US-Iran deal could actually survive if Israel continues its military campaign in Lebanon, Trump confidently asserted, “It can.” Downplaying the cross-border conflict when measured against the larger threat of a nuclear-armed Tehran, Trump remarked, “I consider that the minor war,” referring to the conflict in Lebanon. “Iran’s the big one, but we have that little pinprick out there that constantly rears its head, and that’s Hezbollah.” Reminding Tel Aviv of its absolute dependence on American military and diplomatic backing, Trump delivered a blunt, unfiltered reality check on the power dynamics at play, stating that without the US, “there’d be no Israel.” He then drove the point home by framing it around his own political legacy, adding, “Without me there would be no Israel, because no other president was willing to do what I did.” The US President maintained that he has always shared a “great relationship” with Netanyahu, but firmly concluded with a directive that the Israeli prime minister “has to be more responsible with respect to Lebanon.” (ANI)
