Report: Trump Threatens New Military Strikes If No Nuclear Deal Is Reached

He would resume military strikes or make the U.S. the “guardian of the Middle East” and, as such, collect 20 percent of the region’s revenue in the future, the newspaper quoted him as saying during a phone call on the evening of his 80th birthday on Sunday (local time).

The “New York Times” reported Trump’s statements from the conversation almost exclusively indirectly. According to the U.S. president, the Strait of Hormuz is ultimately to remain “permanently toll-free” under the agreement.

After weeks of negotiations, the U.S. and Iran had previously agreed on a framework deal to end the war. The agreement is set to be signed on Friday in Switzerland. The deal is intended to lay the groundwork for negotiations on issues such as Tehran’s nuclear program.

Trump: If Iran had the bomb, Israel wouldn’t last two hours

In a conversation with the “New York Times” that lasted just under half an hour, Trump once again defended his decision to attack Iran in late February and to impose a naval blockade against Iran following the closure of the strait, which is essential for oil trade, the newspaper reported. The newspaper quoted Trump as saying that he had reshaped the Middle East in favor of the U.S.

He once again criticized Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu: “He’s a very difficult guy,” Trump said of his ally, whose military strikes in Lebanon had recently jeopardized the agreement with Iran. “He should be very grateful to us for doing this. Because if Iran had a nuclear weapon, Israel wouldn’t be around for two hours.”

The framework agreement does not initially include any provisions regarding Iran’s nuclear program. Trump remained vague in the interview as well: His deal would ensure that Iran “cannot develop or acquire a nuclear weapon” and that uranium enrichment would remain “forever” at such a low level that it “could never be used for military purposes.”