President Donald Trump said Wednesday evening that critics who wanted the US to continue bombing Iran are 'stupid,' warning that without the nuclear memorandum of understanding the Strait of Hormuz would never have reopened and an 'economic disaster' could have resulted. 'If we kept dropping bombs for another month, two months, three, what would have remained?' Trump said, according to Israeli journalist Moriah Asraf (N13 / Army Radio). 'They would have destroyed the entire Middle East — including Israel.'
President Donald Trump on Wednesday evening escalated his defense of the nuclear memorandum of understanding by labeling critics who wanted continued bombing of Iran as 'stupid,' warning that sustained strikes could have triggered an 'economic disaster' and left the Strait of Hormuz permanently closed. Speaking from a podium, Trump said: 'Anyone who wanted us to keep bombing Iran is stupid. If we had continued (the war), an economic disaster could have happened.' He added: 'If we kept dropping bombs for another month, two months, three, what would have remained? The Strait (of Hormuz) would never have been opened. They would have destroyed the entire Middle East — including Israel.' The remarks, reported by journalist Moriah Asraf (N13 / Army Radio), are the latest in a sequence of statements Wednesday in which Trump has repeatedly framed the agreement as an economic necessity.
Trump's latest comments follow a string of statements The Zioneer tracked throughout Wednesday. At 13:48 Jerusalem, Trump wrote on Truth Social that he is '99.9 percent' sure Iran will not obtain nuclear weapons. Within minutes, a statement circulated in which Trump called opponents 'stupid people' and asserted the Strait of Hormuz 'would never have opened' without a deal. By 13:54, he doubled down on the economic necessity argument. At 14:04, Trump signaled the MOU is not final and warned he would resume bombing if the deal fails standards. At 17:43, he said Iran wants to sign and return to normal life, but threatened renewed military strikes if it does not. At 19:08, Trump revealed that one unnamed country asked Washington to continue bombing — a request he called foolish. Across the thread, the reporting shifted from a single source (Trump's Truth Social post) to multiple Israeli outlets quoting the president directly, though no administration official has independently confirmed specific Iranian commitments.
As The Zioneer reported on Tuesday, Trump stated in an ABC interview that Iran will stop firing at Israel for at least a week as part of a potential deal, and warned the US would otherwise 'wipe out an entire infrastructure of a nation.' In a separate background item published Monday, Trump told the New York Times he would 'renew military attacks' on Iran if nuclear talks falter, underscoring the dual-track pressure he maintains.
It remains unclear what the MOU's specific terms are regarding Iranian nuclear limitations or verification measures, and no independent confirmation of Iranian commitments has been provided by any party. The identity of the unnamed country that asked the US to continue bombing also has not been disclosed.
6 developments
- DevelopingTrump says only one country asked US to continue bombing Iran, calls deal a nuclear blocker
- StrongTrump says Iran will halt fire on Israel for at least a week, warns of 'wipe out' if talks fail
- DevelopingTrump: If not for Iran deal, bombing would have continued for weeks or years
- StrongTrump: Iran MOU has 60-day clock; warns US will resume bombing if no progress
Source and signal
- Internal intake