President Donald Trump said Wednesday evening that without the emerging deal with Iran, the US bombing campaign would have continued for '2-3-4 weeks or two years.' The remark, reported by Israeli media, was paired with a defense of Iran retaining ballistic missiles on the grounds that 'other states have them too,' according to additional statements by Trump.
President Trump returned to the Iran deal theme Wednesday evening, justifying the memorandum of understanding by arguing that continued bombing would have been prolonged and destructive. 'If we hadn't made the deal with Iran, we would have kept dropping bombs for 2-3-4 weeks or two years,' Trump said, according to Israeli media reports. The remark reinforces his earlier contention that the diplomatic pause is temporary and a return to strikes is possible if talks stall — as The Zioneer reported earlier Wednesday, Trump described the deal as a 60-day memorandum of understanding.
In a separate but related statement, Trump said Iran needs ballistic missiles because 'other countries have them too,' defending elements of the emerging accord that allow Tehran to retain some missile capability. The comment extends a thread the desk has been tracking since Tuesday: Trump has been alternating between threats to 'wipe out' Iranian infrastructure, claims that Iran requested a bombing halt, and arguments that the deal will prevent a nuclear weapon while avoiding a protracted war. The latest statements, delivered without on-camera confirmation, appeared on two Israeli news feeds and are consistent with the administration's messaging strategy of framing the MOU as a success that averts an endless campaign.
- StrongTrump says Iran will halt fire on Israel for at least a week, warns of 'wipe out' if talks fail
- StrongTrump: Anyone who wanted us to keep bombing Iran is 'stupid'
- DevelopingTrump says only one country asked US to continue bombing Iran, calls deal a nuclear blocker
- StrongAmid G7, Trump says Iran can keep some missiles — US destroyed 84-85% of arsenal
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