Las Vegas, US, Aug 6: US President Donald Trump on Wednesday said the United States would prefer to reach an agreement with Iran but reiterated that Washington would not allow Tehran to develop nuclear weapons.
Speaking at an event in Las Vegas, Trump said the United States had taken military action against Iran and claimed it had weakened the country while remaining open to negotiations.
“In Venezuela, it was a 48-minute war, and we paid for the war with what we’ve taken out… to the victor belongs the spoils, and we are doing the same thing in the Islamic Republic of Iran. We are knocking the hell out of them. I would rather make a deal, because I do not want to kill people,” Trump said.
He further claimed that a larger military operation had been planned but was halted after Iranian officials sought talks with the United States.”We were set for the biggest attack since World War II, and they called me and said, ‘Please don’t do it. Let’s talk.’ Then they said we never said that. We are talking. Let’s see what happens,” he said.
Trump also said Iran now respected the United States following recent developments and repeated his position that Tehran must never acquire nuclear weapons.”Iran cannot have a nuclear weapon,” he said.
Referring to Venezuela, Trump praised US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) for its operations against the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua. He also said the United States was importing oil from Venezuela and that relations with Caracas had improved.
The remarks came hours after Trump told reporters that progress had been made in contacts with Iran and claimed Iranian officials had reached out for discussions. He said the situation would become clearer within 48 hours and expressed hope that an agreement could be reached.