United States President Donald Trump on Thursday said the country was negotiating with Iran “from a position of pure strength” following the peace deal, claiming Tehran was now eager to reach an agreement
with Washington.
Speaking at a White House event with farmers, Trump defended the US action against Iran and said it had strengthened America’s leverage in the ongoing negotiations.
“We knocked the hell out of them, and now we’re negotiating from a position of pure strength, pure strength. They know that,” Trump said.
He added that Tehran was keen to strike a deal with Washington. “Iran wants to make a deal with us very badly. We probably will.”
Reiterating his justification for the military action, Trump said the United States had no choice but to act against Iran over concerns about its nuclear programme.
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“We had to act against Iran because its possession of a nuclear weapon means the demise of Israel and the Middle East and endangering the world,” he said.
Trump also claimed that the Strait of Hormuz remained fully operational despite heightened tensions in the region.
“The Strait of Hormuz is open and witnessed yesterday the exit of 19 million barrels of oil, the highest figure in its history,” he said.
The US president further repeated his assertion that Iran could emerge as a buyer of American agricultural products, despite previous denials from Tehran.
“We have another one, a new market coming up, and that’s called the lovely country of Iran. They’re having a hard time with food and we’re going to be taking some of their money and we’ll spend it and we’re going to be buying wheat, soybeans, and corn, a lot of it,” Trump said.
His remarks come after the United States and Iran signed a preliminary agreement aimed at ending the conflict that began with US and Israeli military action in late February.
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The US and Iran are currently engaged in a 60-day round of negotiations covering Tehran’s nuclear programme, sanctions relief and shipping through the Strait of Hormuz.
During the conflict, Iran imposed a blockade on the Strait of Hormuz, a key global energy route connecting the Persian Gulf to the Arabian Sea.
Tehran has since said it plans to introduce maritime service fees, while the Revolutionary Guards have warned that unauthorised crossings through the strait would be “dealt with.”
