US President Donald Trump said there would be “no deal” with Iran if it continues pursuing a nuclear weapon and suggested the conflict could conclude “fairly soon” in an interview aired on April 15 on Fox Business.
“They cannot have a nuclear weapon,” Trump said. “If they don’t, we’re not making a deal.”
He claimed US forces had caused severe damage to Iran, stating: “Everything’s been wiped out… They have no air force… no radar.”
Trump referred to Iran’s leadership as “a new regime” and described it as “pretty reasonable by comparison,” while noting that the final outcome of the conflict is still unclear.
“It only matters the end result… and maybe it’ll happen fairly soon,” he said.
He also said the United States has the capability to strike Iranian infrastructure but does not want to escalate the situation further.
“We could take out every one of their bridges in one hour… every one of their power plants,” he said, adding: “We don’t want to do that.”
Trump added that he had not faced any pushback from other countries regarding US actions in the region, including steps affecting the Strait of Hormuz.
Separately, Trump also said that oil prices would return to previous levels.
The US president stated that he had written a letter to Chinese President Xi Jinping in which he asked him not to supply Iran with weapons, adding that Xi responded that he is essentially not doing so. He also noted that Xi is a leader who needs oil, while the United States does not.
By Jeyhun Aghazada
