EVIAN-LES-BAINS, France — President Donald Trump made clear on Wednesday that a preliminary agreement with Iran remains tentative, warning he would not hesitate to restart military strikes against the country if the deal falls apart or if Iran fails to comply with its terms.
Speaking on the margins of a G7 summit in France, Trump described the arrangement bluntly: “It’s a memorandum of understanding. And if I don’t like it, we’ll go back to shooting at them, dropping bombs on their head. If I don’t like it, if they don’t behave, we’ll go right back to dropping bombs right smack in the middle of their head, OK?”
Trump confirmed that the current memorandum of understanding does not provide Iran with any immediate relief from existing sanctions.
Despite the tough tone, the president spoke highly of the framework his administration negotiated, saying: “That’s a very strong deal. Nobody knows what it is, but it’s very strong, and most people seem to be very happy.”
Trump also pointed to the agreement’s potential positive impact on financial markets, stating: “There’s nothing so smart as the market, and the market loves it beyond anything that I’ve actually seen.” He added that rejecting the deal would have had severe global consequences, warning: “The alternative would be a worldwide depression.”
Oil prices hovered near a three-month low on Wednesday, with Trump forecasting further declines ahead. “I think oil prices might get lower than where they were before the war,” he said.
