At a meeting with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi on the sidelines of the G7 summit in France, President Donald Trump said the emerging understanding with Iran is not final and warned the United States could return to military action at any time.
Trump told reporters that if he is not satisfied with the deal, Washington will “go back to dropping bombs.” He added, “If they don’t behave, I’ll drop bombs right on their face.” He also said, “99.99%” that Iran will not get nuclear weapons, and insisted, “They will never have nuclear weapons.”
Alongside the threats, Trump expressed optimism about the economic and security results of the talks, which he said are being mediated by Pakistan and Qatar. He called it “a very strong deal,” said most people and markets support it, and argued it is important to prevent a global recession. Trump said US markets are strong and oil prices are falling.
On financing, Trump said the United States will not pay anything toward the reported $300 billion effort to rebuild Iran. “We are not investing 10 cents,” he said, adding that Gulf states can invest only after they see Iran’s behavior. Earlier Thursday, Reuters reported that the draft understanding includes a private $300 billion investment fund, likely called the “Reconstruction and Development Fund,” to encourage investment in Iran as part of the push for a final agreement ending the war. The report said more than half the money has already been pledged, though the fund has not been formally established. According to the report, US, Gulf, Asian, South American, and African companies have committed to participate in energy, logistics, manufacturing, and transport.
