Florida, (Reuters): US President Donald Trump on Monday warned that the United States would swiftly launch new military strikes against Iran if it resumes rebuilding its nuclear programme, following US attacks carried out in June.“I hear Iran is trying to build up again, and if they are, we have to knock them down,” Trump told reporters while hosting Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida. “We’ll knock the hell out of them.”
Despite the warning, Trump said he remained open to negotiating a new agreement with Tehran, describing a potential deal as “much smarter.”During his remarks, Trump strongly praised Netanyahu, saying Israel’s survival depended on his leadership. “I feel that if you had the wrong prime minister, Israel would not exist,” he said. Trump also claimed that Israeli President Isaac Herzog had informed him of plans to pardon Netanyahu in connection with corruption-related charges.The US president added that he hoped Israel could eventually improve relations with Syria, despite repeated Israeli actions violating Syrian territorial sovereignty since the fall of former Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad late last year.
Trump also addressed the war in Ukraine, saying Russian President Vladimir Putin told him that Ukraine had attempted to attack Putin’s residence in northern Russia. Kyiv has denied the allegation, which Moscow has not supported with evidence.“I don’t like it. It’s not good,” Trump said when asked whether the accusation could undermine peace negotiations. “I learned about it from President Putin today. I was very angry about it.”He described the situation as “delicate,” adding, “It’s one thing to be offensive because they’re offensive. It’s another thing to attack his house. This is not the right time to do any of that.”When questioned about evidence of the attack, Trump said: “We’ll find out.”Trump described his phone call with Putin earlier in the day as “a very good talk,” but acknowledged that negotiations to end the war face significant challenges.R
ussia currently controls about one-fifth of Ukrainian territory, including Crimea, which it annexed in 2014. Moscow also claims the Donetsk and Luhansk regions in the Donbas, as well as Zaporizhzhia and Kherson, all of which are internationally recognised as Ukrainian territory. Russia is demanding that Ukraine withdraw its troops from parts of the Donetsk region it has not fully occupied, while Kyiv has proposed halting fighting along current front lines. Washington has suggested creating a free economic zone if Ukrainian forces pull back.
