In a fresh verbal escalation, former US President Donald Trump has issued another stark warning to Iran regarding its nuclear ambitions, asserting that he would “take action” if the program were revived.
Speaking in an interview with American network CNBC, Trump reiterated his long-standing demand that “Iran must stop its nuclear activities.” He framed his administration’s “maximum pressure” campaign, which included the unilateral withdrawal from the 2015 nuclear deal and the imposition of severe sanctions, as a decisive intervention. Trump claimed this policy singularly prevented Iran from developing a nuclear weapon.
“If the US had not targeted Iran’s nuclear system, Iran would have obtained nuclear weapons within two months,” Trump stated, offering a definitive and contentious timeline for a threat that has long been assessed by international agencies as a matter of years, not months. He expressed a hope that no further action would be necessary, contingent on Iran abandoning its pursuit of nuclear weapons.
The former president’s comments come amid stalled international efforts to revive the nuclear accord, known as the JCPOA, and ongoing concerns from the International Atomic Energy Agency about Iran’s expanding uranium enrichment activities. Trump’s assertion places him directly at odds with the current Biden administration’s diplomatic approach to the issue.
Shifting focus to Iran’s domestic unrest, Trump also commented on the nationwide protests that have rocked the country, alleging that “people were being targeted indiscriminately on the streets.” However, he notably concluded the statement by saying, “but his military,” leaving the thought incomplete and its intended meaning unclear within the provided excerpt. The remark nonetheless underscores his continued willingness to critique the Iranian regime on multiple fronts, linking its internal governance to broader security concerns.
