US President Donald Trump expressed doubt about Iran's desire for a deal in remarks to reporters after the NATO summit in Ankara. Trump said Iran very much wants to make a deal and had recently contacted the US.
However, Trump said, "They want it so badly that I'm not sure whether to go ahead with such a deal. I don't trust them to abide by the agreements we reach. That's the problem."
Military superiority claim
Assessing military operations against Iran, the US President said, "Every time they hit us, we will respond twenty times harder. We did exactly that last night."
"Militarily, we have already won. They have very few capabilities left."
To a question about Iran's attacks on commercial ships, Trump replied, "To be honest, it seems a bit crazy. They are acting erratically, but they very much want to make a deal."
Relations with Turkey and NATO unity
Trump gave a positive assessment of NATO's 36th summit of heads of state and government in Ankara. Emphasizing relations with Turkey, Trump said, "We had two very good days. We signed very good trade deals with Turkey. They have been a very good partner."
The US leader praised Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, saying, "He was magnificent."
Trump said he also had a very good meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. Noting that there was real unity among NATO leaders, Trump said, "Today we saw real unity. NATO has really come a long way."
Trump said European allies had taken steps to increase defense spending, and he claimed that the unfair burden the US had long carried had been resolved in many respects.
Returning to the Iran issue, the US President described the events as a process of eliminating the possibility of Iran acquiring nuclear weapons rather than a war, and added that everyone should be pleased with that.
