Former U.S. President Donald Trump defended the proposed Iran nuclear agreement during a press conference following the G7 summit, claiming it averted a prolonged military conflict. ‘If we hadn’t made the deal with Iran, we’d likely have been dropping bombs for two years,’ Trump said, adding that U.S. allies welcomed the diplomatic development.
G7 Discussions and Strategic Goals
Trump stated he discussed the issue with G7 leaders and emphasized that none of America’s allies urged continued military operations. He reiterated his administration’s goal of achieving a ‘regime change’ in Iran, suggesting Tehran’s leadership would adopt a new posture as a result of mounting pressure.
The former president also linked the prospect of peace to positive market reactions, saying economic stability was a key motivation behind pursuing the agreement. He stressed that avoiding a war-related financial crisis was a top priority for his administration.
U.S.-Israel Relations and Nuclear Red Line
On U.S.-Israel ties, Trump praised his close cooperation with then-Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, calling it ‘exceptional,’ while reaffirming America’s role as Israel’s principal partner. He repeated his firm stance that Iran must not acquire nuclear weapons—and issued a stark warning: if negotiations do not yield the desired outcome within 60 days, Washington could resume military action.
‘If it’s not finalized within 60 days, we’ll go back to bombing,’ Trump said, underscoring that preventing Tehran from obtaining nuclear arms remains the central objective.
Timeline and Context
Trump indicated the new agreement is expected to be signed shortly and claimed Iran is eager to reach a deal. Throughout his remarks, he repeatedly tied the current diplomatic momentum to the January 2020 U.S. drone strike that killed Iranian General Qasem Soleimani near Baghdad International Airport—during Trump’s first term.
He claimed the decision to carry out the operation came after Israel reportedly declined to conduct the strike itself, leaving the final call to him.