The United States (U.S.) President Donald Trump stated that reaching an agreement on Gaza is very close, linking it to the recent U.S. strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities.
“I think great progress is being made regarding Gaza. Because of this strike that we carried out, I believe we will have good news very soon,” Trump said during a meeting with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte on the sidelines of the Alliance summit in The Hague.
He added that negotiations on an agreement in Gaza had already been progressing well earlier and that the U.S. strikes on Iran further accelerated the process. “It showed strength and I think it helped. Even before that, we were very close to an agreement,” Trump said.
Comparing Sunday’s massive airstrikes on Iranian nuclear facilities to the nuclear bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki at the end of World War II, Trump said: “It was essentially the same thing that ended the war. If we hadn’t eliminated that, they would still be fighting today.”
He welcomed the recent announcement of a ceasefire between Israel and Iran, emphasizing that he is proud of them, unlike earlier statements when he criticized both sides for continuing the conflict.
Trump described the U.S. operation against Iranian nuclear sites as “perfect” and “an incredible success,” claiming that it has set back Iran’s nuclear program by decades. “I don’t think they’ll ever do it again,” he added.
When asked whether the U.S. would strike Iran again if it resumed its nuclear program, Trump said that it would happen, but that “there is no reason to worry.”
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio also stated that the strikes destroyed Iran’s conversion facility, crucial for the development of nuclear weapons. “We can’t even find where it used to be on the map anymore. The entire facility simply disappeared,” Rubio said.
Trump and Rubio disputed the alleged secret U.S. report claiming that the strikes only slowed Iran’s nuclear program by a few months, stressing that these assessments do not reflect the real situation on the ground. Rubio also confirmed that the FBI has launched an investigation into the leak of classified information after details of the operation were shared with the media.
