President Donald Trump said Wednesday evening that Iran should retain some ballistic missile capability because other states in the region also possess them, and dismissed as 'stupid' any country that asked the US to continue bombing Iran, according to i24NEWS and Israeli media reports. The remarks mark the latest shift in Trump's position as the US-Iran nuclear understanding appears near signing.
President Donald Trump said Wednesday evening that one unnamed country had asked the US to keep bombing Iran, a request he dismissed as "stupid," according to i24NEWS and Israeli media reports. The remark, made during a press interaction, follows an earlier statement Wednesday in which Trump called critics who wanted continued bombing "stupid" and warned that prolonging the campaign would have "destroyed the entire Middle East — including Israel" (The Zioneer, Wed 19:16). The new comment consolidates Trump's rejection of further escalation as the US-Iran nuclear memorandum of understanding appears close to signing.
The thread shows a rapid sequence of statements by Trump Wednesday evening, reported within minutes of each other. At 19:08, Trump was first reported calling continued bombing advocates "stupid" and arguing the emerging deal would prevent Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons. By 19:16, he added the warning about destroying the Middle East, citing the Strait of Hormuz and an "economic disaster" scenario. At 19:24, Trump said Iran "needs investments" after billions in US damage, but the US would not help. The missile-capability remarks — that Iran should retain some ballistic missiles because regional states like Saudi Arabia also possess them — appeared at 19:32 across multiple correspondents (N12, i24NEWS, Yedioth Ahronoth), with some noting it marked a reversal of Trump's earlier demand for total disarmament. The dismissal of the request for continued bombing, reported as the same 19:32 cluster, now further clarifies his position against prolonging the campaign.
As The Zioneer reported on Thu Jun 11 (02:45), Trump had claimed Iran requested a halt to strikes and that the bombing would end soon, while the US military denied an Iranian claim that a warship had been hit. The broader context, as the desk noted on Wed Jun 10 (19:09), shows Trump oscillating between threats to strike Iran "very hard today" and expressing belief that Tehran wants a deal. The current remarks continue to distance Trump from the hardline stance of the early air campaign, as the administration strikes targets while negotiating simultaneously.
What remains open: the name of the country that asked the US to continue bombing has not been disclosed, and Trump did not specify whether it was a regional state or a broader ally. The exact terms of the nuclear understanding — and whether Iran's retention of ballistic missiles is accommodated — have not been formally released.
12 developments
- DevelopingTrump says overnight strikes destroyed ~55% of rebuilt Iranian air defenses
- StrongTrump says Iran will halt fire on Israel for at least a week, warns of 'wipe out' if talks fail
- DevelopingAbu Salah: Iran retained most missile capabilities Trump claimed were destroyed
- DevelopingIn response to reporter, Trump says Iran 'wants a deal more than I do' — they've 'taken hits'
Source and signal
- Internal intake