US President Donald Trump on Tuesday warned that the United States would strike Iran if it attempts to rebuild its nuclear programme, saying he is concerned by reports suggesting Tehran is moving to restore its capabilities. “We’ll knock the hell out of them, but hopefully that’s not happening,” he said.
“Iran may be behaving badly; it hasn’t been confirmed, but if it is confirmed, consequences may be more powerful than last time,” Trump said alongside Israel President Benjamin Netanyahu.
Talking about reports of Iran rebuilding weapons, Trump said that they are not using the sites which were destroyed earlier this year, but possibly using different sites.
Also read: ‘We made a lot of progress’: President Trump on talks with Netanyahu
The Republican President also affirmed support for Israel in strikes if Iran continued with its ballistic missile program, which Netanyahu highlighted earlier this year as an “existential” threat.
The remarks came as Trump has long vowed to curb Iran’s nuclear capabilities, under which the US launched massive strikes earlier this year on it’s key nuclear sites at Fordow, Natanz and Esfahan. Trump claimed the strikes had “obliterated” Iran’s nuclear ambitions, a claim Iran said was exaggerated.
Trump says ‘Iran wants to make deal’
Trump also suggested that Tehran wants to make a deal, calling it a “smart” move. “They wish they had made that deal. So I think again, they should make a deal,” Trump said further.
He further added that “Iran should have made the deal last time,” stressing that he gave the country an option which they refused.
Also read: Did Iran declare war on US? What President Masoud Pezeshkian said about tensions with the West | Hindustan Times
US President Trump hosted his Israeli counterpart in Florida on Monday for crucial talks about moving to the next stage of the Gaza truce plan. Trump played down the reports of tensions with Netanyahu, saying, “he can be very difficult.”
Earlier, Israel’s intelligence chief accused Iran of developing nuclear weapons and using them against Tel aviv, Bloomberg reported. “Iran has not abandoned its ambition to destroy the State of Israel,” David Barnea, the head of Mossad, reportedly said in a speech.