'If deal reached, we destroy it together; if not, we strike hard and take it'

Trump again calls for lower rates but says Fed chair should 'do what he wants'

The Herald Business International Desk delivers a daily briefing on Trump-related issues.

US President Donald Trump [AFP]
US President Donald Trump [AFP]

US President Donald Trump said Sunday that if a deal is reached with Iran to end the war, the two countries will work together to retrieve and destroy Iran's highly enriched uranium (HEU). If negotiations collapse, he warned, the United States will further degrade Iran's military to seize the material by force.

In an NBC interview broadcast that day, Trump addressed the central sticking point in the negotiations — the disposal of Iran's HEU. "If we agree that we're going to have a friendly relationship, we're all going to go together," he said. "Whether we destroy it on-site or move it somewhere else, we're going to take it out and destroy it."

He added: "We're going to do that whether we go with them or without them. But there will be nobody shooting at us."

"If there's no deal, we're going to hit them very hard with military force," Trump said, "and then we'll go in — and either way, our safety will be guaranteed."

The remarks were widely interpreted as signaling that while the United States prefers a negotiated solution, Washington is prepared to forcibly secure and destroy Iran's HEU if talks break down.

On the state of negotiations, Trump said the two sides are "very close to a deal," adding that "a few issues remain but they don't seem like big ones."

He also said the memorandum of understanding currently under discussion includes a clause barring Iran from developing nuclear weapons. He said a provision prohibiting Iran from purchasing nuclear weapons — not in the original draft — was added at his insistence, and that Iran had accepted it.

However, Trump drew a line on sanctions relief, saying that even if a new agreement is signed, the unfreezing of Iranian assets and the easing of sanctions would not happen immediately.

Asked whether the United States would lift asset freezes or sanctions as part of any deal, Trump said flatly: "No. That comes after."

"If they behave properly and show good faith, then we'll start talking about those things," he added.

Trump said he has not spoken directly with Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Seyyed Mojtaba Khamenei but indicated he would be open to such a conversation if Khamenei wished.

Asked whether he knows the whereabouts of Mojtaba Khamenei, who is reported to have been seriously wounded during the war with Iran, Trump said: "I don't want to say whether I know where he is. But there's a good chance I do."

Trump also ruled out an imminent withdrawal of the additional US troops deployed to the Middle East for military operations against Iran.

He said the cost of maintaining the deployment is not significant and poses no safety concerns. "I think it's good to keep them there until things are wrapped up," he said.

When pressed on whether the Iran campaign broke his campaign pledge not to start new wars, Trump pushed back. "I never promised anything," he said. "I don't like endless wars. This is not an endless war."

The interview was conducted June 5. NBC had earlier aired selected remarks from Trump on Iran before releasing the full interview Sunday.

On the possibility of a Federal Reserve interest rate hike, Trump said "there's no reason to raise rates" and that "we actually should be lowering rates." He nonetheless said he hopes Fed Chair Kevin Warsh will "do what he wants."

"I don't want to have a big influence on him," Trump said, while also complaining that "every time we do well, they want to raise rates — that's not fair."

Trump again defended the Justice Department's proposed "Judicial Victims Fund" — also called the anti-weaponization fund — which the department said it would halt after drawing bipartisan opposition.

The Justice Department had sought to establish the fund, worth $1.776 billion (about 2.7 trillion won), to compensate people it said were unjustly punished when the Joe Biden administration weaponized the justice system for political ends.

Asked whether supporters convicted of attacking police officers during the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol riot could be eligible for compensation, Trump declined to rule it out. "I don't want to say that, but I think we'll have to see," he said.

Trump also revived claims of election fraud, pointing to California primary results from June 2 that had yet to be finalized days after the vote, ahead of the November midterm elections. When the interviewer repeatedly pressed him for evidence, a heated exchange ensued, and Trump ultimately said he would end the interview.


mokiya@heraldcorp.com