U.S. President Donald Trump stated Monday that any agreement with Iran will be substantial or nonexistent, contrasting it with the 2015 nuclear accord.
7:28 PM
U.S. President Donald Trump said Monday that any agreement with Iran must be "big and significant" or there will be no deal at all.
"The deal with Iran will be a big one or a significant one, or there will be no deal," Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform. "It will be exactly the opposite of the disaster that was the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action—the official name of the 2015 agreement—negotiated by the failed Obama Administration, which provided a direct and open path for Iran to nuclear weapons. No, I don't make deals like that."
Trump's statement came as his Secretary of State Marco Rubio was in New Delhi discussing potential negotiations. Rubio said he had expected news on a possible agreement Sunday or Monday but cautioned against reading too much into timing. "We thought maybe we would have news last night, or perhaps today, but I wouldn't put too much stock in it," Rubio said.
Rubio indicated the United States has "a pretty solid proposal" on the table regarding the Strait of Hormuz, which Iran has effectively blocked and which is vital to global oil traffic. He said the proposal has significant backing from Gulf nations. "It has a lot of support in the Gulf... all the countries we've discussed this with understand that not only is it very reasonable, but it is the right thing to do," Rubio stated.
Trump also criticized Democrats who are opposing a potential agreement, saying they "don't know anything about the potential deal" being negotiated with Iran and are criticizing "things that haven't even been negotiated yet." He asserted that the Democratic Party "has lost its way."
In his social media post, Trump added: "Negotiations with the Islamic Republic of Iran are going great! There will only be a big deal for everyone or no deal. We will return to the battlefield, with more strength than ever, and nobody wants that!"
The 2015 nuclear agreement, formally known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, was signed between Iran and world powers including the United States. The Trump administration withdrew from the accord unilaterally in 2018 during his first term as president.
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