United States President Donald Trump has warned that they could “finish the job” in Iran in less than a week if Tehran does not act “reasonably,” while reiterating that Washington’s primary objective is to ensure
Iran never acquires a nuclear weapon.
“Iran has been great. Iran is reasonable if they’re smart; otherwise, we’ll have to finish the job, which will take about maybe less than a week. But they’re going to be okay, I think. They’re going to do what they have to do because we want to have it done,” Trump said.
Speaking about the Strait of Hormuz, the US president said, “Yesterday, 19 million barrels of oil flowed out of the Strait of Hormuz, a very beautiful place… You’ve never seen anything like it. It’s called an oil gush… I did it for this reason, 99% for this. Iran will never have a nuclear weapon, and they’ve agreed to that.”
‘Iran’s Missiles Prevented Gaza-Like Fate’
Meanwhile, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said the country’s missile programme had prevented the United States and Israel from treating Iran the way Gaza has been affected.
Also Read: ‘They’re Wrong’: Trump Insists Iran Agreed To Nuclear Inspections, Threatens To Cancel Talks
“If we did not have our missiles, which are for our self-defence, Israel and America would have ploughed through Iran the way Gaza was ploughed through, and they would have shown no mercy to the old or the young,” Pezeshkian said during a visit to Pakistan.
He also criticised the United States over its human rights record, saying, “They speak of human rights. It is a great lie.”
“If we could not defend ourselves, they certainly would not have shown mercy to our country and would have destroyed our power. Therefore, we will never, under any circumstances, negotiate with anyone over our defensive capabilities,” he added.
He further reiterated that Iran’s missile programme was not part of its memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the United States and would not become a subject of future negotiations.
“The discussion over our missiles does not exist in the MoU, and it never will,” Pezeshkian said, according to CNN.
US-Iran MoU Did Not Cover Tehran’s Ballistic Missiles: Pak PM
Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif also said the MoU signed between the United States and Iran did not cover Iran’s ballistic missile programme.
Also Read: ‘It Was Never On The Table’: Shehbaz Sharif Says US-Iran MoU Does Not Include Ballistic Missiles
Responding to a question on Iran’s nuclear and missile technology, Sharif said that he can claim “without fear of contradiction that Iran’s ballistic missile programme was not a subject of discussion between the US and Iran… it was not on the table.”
“There cannot be double standards… that some countries can have ballistic missiles and Iran shouldn’t have. You cannot digest this duplicity. You cannot digest this kind of duplicity,” he added.
Trump Insists Iran Agreed To Nuclear Inspections
United States President Trump rejected Iran’s claim that no visit had been scheduled for inspectors from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), insisting Tehran had already agreed to allow the UN nuclear watchdog into the country.
“They’re wrong, they’re wrong, they know they’re wrong. They told us inside, and we have it down 100%. And if they were right, I’d cancel the meetings right now,” he said.
Also Read: US Senate Passes Resolution Calling For End To Trump’s Military Action Against Iran
When asked when IAEA inspectors would be deployed to Iran, Trump did not specify a timeframe, saying only that they would arrive “at the appropriate time” and stressing that “there is no rush.”
US Senate Votes To Limit Trump’s Military Action Against Iran
The US Senate passed a resolution calling for an end to President Trump’s military engagement with Iran, marking the latest congressional pushback against the White House as it seeks to negotiate a long-term agreement with Tehran.
The measure, which cleared the Senate in a 50-48 vote, directs the president to withdraw US forces from hostilities involving Iran unless Congress specifically authorises the use of military force.
Stranded Gulf Ships To Be Evacuated Through Hormuz
Meanwhile, the United Nations’ International Maritime Organisation (IMO) said that an evacuation plan for hundreds of ships carrying around 11,000 seafarers stranded in the Gulf to transit through the Strait of Hormuz is underway, following the ceasefire agreement between Iran and the United States.
