U.S. President Donald Trump said on Monday that a proposed 45-day ceasefire with the Islamic Republic of Iran is “a significant step” but “not good enough,” as negotiations continue over a pause in “Operation Epic Fury.”
Speaking to reporters for about 10 minutes during the White House Easter Egg Roll, Trump said talks with Tehran are ongoing and described the current leadership as more pragmatic than its predecessors.
“They’ve been negotiating, I think, in good faith,” he said. “We’ve had total regime change. The people there now are much more reasonable than the lunatics.”
“You can call it what you want, but I call it regime change,” Trump said. “The first regime was taken out, the second regime was taken out. Now, the third group of people that we’re dealing with is not as radicalized, and we think they’re actually much smarter.”
He reiterated that the conflict centers on preventing Iran from acquiring a nuclear weapon, warning that Israel would face existential danger if Tehran succeeded.
“Israel would have been gone, extinguished. Israel would have been wiped off the face of the earth, and the entire Middle East would have been, at minimum, in big trouble,” he said.
Trump also said U.S. military pressure on Iran is intensifying and warned of further destruction if Tehran does not concede.
“If they don’t, they’ll have no bridges, they’ll have no power plants, they’ll have no energy.”
He added that the United States could seize Iranian oil resources if necessary and signaled willingness to absorb short-term economic costs to block Iran’s nuclear ambitions.
“If we have to pay a little extra for fuel for a couple of months, we’ll do that, but we’re never going to allow Iran to have a nuclear weapon,” Trump said.
