U.S. President Donald Trump said on Tuesday that the United States would resume military strikes against Iran if Tehran violates a memorandum of understanding intended to prevent the Islamic Republic from obtaining a nuclear weapon.
Speaking on the sidelines of the G-7 summit in Évian-les-Bains, France, Trump said the agreement must permanently block Iran’s path to a nuclear weapon, but warned of military consequences if it fails.
“When I say permanently, it should be permanently. But if it’s not permanently, we will bomb them,” Trump told reporters. “They will be bombed.” He added that if Iran does not comply with the agreement, “we’ll probably go back to bombing them until they honor it.”
Asked why the agreement does not contain formal enforcement provisions, Trump replied, “Doesn’t have to.”
“What else am I going to do? Am I going to say I’m going to take you to court? No, we’re going to bomb the hell out of them if they violate the agreement,” he said.
Trump also said Washington plans to work “on a parallel effort with the Gulf nations to address non-nuclear issues, such as the conventional ballistic missiles, which we’ll be talking about, and support them.”
“We’ll talk also about the terrorist proxies that they have, that we don’t want that to happen,” he said.
The president indicated that any future discussions on Iran’s missile program would focus on limitations rather than complete elimination.
“I mean, they have to have some because other people have some,” Trump said. “Am I going to let Saudi Arabia have missiles, but they can’t have them? It doesn’t work that way. And missiles aren’t the problem. Missiles are—they hurt a little location, but they don’t blow up the planet.”
Trump also praised Chinese President Xi Jinping, saying, “President Xi helped me. He tried to help, and I think he probably helped get it solved,” noting that China receives “more than 50 percent of their oil from the Hormuz Strait.”
The memorandum, announced during the G-7 summit, establishes a framework for negotiations aimed at ensuring Iran does not develop a nuclear weapon and for reopening the Strait of Hormuz to commercial shipping.
Trump said U.S. Vice President JD Vance is expected to sign the memorandum on behalf of the United States, adding with a laugh: “If it works out, I’m going to take the credit. If it doesn’t work out, I’m blaming JD.”
