“We’re going to talk to them next week, with Iran. We may sign an agreement, I don’t know. To me, I don’t think it’s that necessary. I mean, they had a war, they fought, now they’re going back to their world. I don’t care if I have an agreement or not,” Trump said during a news conference at the end of the NATO summit in The Hague.
Trump added that his administration would be asking for the same type of commitments it sought in negotiations with Iran prior to recent heightened tensions in the Middle East.
“The only thing would be asking for is what we were asking for before,” Trump said, adding again that he does not believe such an agreement is necessary due to his insistence that the US successfully destroyed Iran’s nuclear capabilities, despite early intelligence assessments suggesting otherwise.
“We want no nuclear, but we destroyed the nuclear. In other words, it’s destroyed. I said ‘Iran will not have nuclear.’ Well, we blew it up. It’s blown up to kingdom come, and so I don’t feel very strongly about it. If we got a document, it wouldn’t be bad. We’re going to meet with them,” the president continued.
Trump told reporters he had asked Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who also serves as his national security adviser, as they were walking up to the stage if he wanted to draw up an agreement. Trump said he believed the US could get the Iranians to sign such a document.
Rubio told reporters that such a deal depends on Iran’s willingness to negotiate directly with the US, not through intermediaries.
Trump also stated Iran will need oil money to “put the country back into shape” and said he doesn’t have an issue with China purchasing their oil, signaling possible sanctions flexibility on Iran.
“Look, they just had a war. The war was fought. They fought it bravely. I’m not giving up,” Trump told reporters when asked whether allowing China to buy Iranian oil — as he said he’d like to see — would mark the end of his administration’s “maximum pressure” campaign on Iran.
“They’re in the oil business. I mean, I could stop it if I want to – sell China the oil myself. I don’t want to do that. They’re going to need money to put that country back into shape. We want to see that happen,” he said of Iran.
“If they’re going to sell oil, they’re going to sell oil. We’re not taking over the oil,” he added.
On his way to the NATO summit on Tuesday, Trump posted on Truth Social: “China can now continue to purchase Oil from Iran. Hopefully, they will be purchasing plenty from the US, also. It was my Great Honor to make this happen!”
A senior White House official clarified later Tuesday that the president’s post was not an announcement of sanctions relief.
“The president was simply calling attention to the fact that, because of his decisive actions to obliterate Iran’s nuclear facilities and broker a ceasefire between Israel and Iran, the Strait of Hormuz will not be impacted, which would have been devastating for China,” the official said, adding, “The president continues to call on China and all countries to import our state-of-the-art oil rather than import Iranian oil in violation of U.S. sanctions.”
