Iran Live Updates: 'We Have All the Power,' Donald Trump Says Amid High-Stakes Negotiations with Iran
In a recent statement, President Donald Trump informed ABC News on Monday that efforts are underway to bring the situation to a close, as he stated, "We're trying to finish it up."
On February 28, President Donald Trump made a significant announcement, declaring the initiation of "major combat operations" against Iran, which involved substantial joint strikes by the United States and Israel, targeting a range of sites, including military, government, and infrastructure facilities.
After the declaration of a temporary ceasefire lasting two weeks, the initial round of talks between the United States and Iran, which took place in Pakistan in April, ultimately failed to yield a peace agreement, as the parties involved were unable to reach a mutually acceptable deal.
President Donald Trump subsequently announced that the ceasefire would be extended indefinitely, and the United States would continue to maintain a blockade until the negotiations are concluded, regardless of the outcome, stating that this would be the case "one way or the other."
In a recent development, President Donald Trump appeared to confirm reports that a U.S. Army helicopter had gone down in the vicinity of the Strait of Hormuz, an incident that was initially reported by The New York Times late on Monday.
President Trump asserted that the pilots did not sustain any injuries and that a comprehensive report regarding the incident is scheduled to be released on the following Tuesday.
The president stated, "The pilots are fine," and further emphasized, "Nobody was injured," while also announcing, "We are going to issue a report tomorrow, but the pilots are fine," Trump added this information when he was asked to provide an update on the crash during an informal conversation with reporters on the tarmac in New York, which took place after Game 3 of the NBA finals.
During a telephone conversation with the Israeli Prime Minister, President Donald Trump informed ABC News that he had advised Benjamin Netanyahu to exercise his own judgment, but at the same time, he issued a warning to refrain from taking any actions that could potentially hinder his efforts to negotiate a peace deal with Iran.
President Trump expressed his thoughts by saying, "I do not want to take any actions that could potentially harm the deal, but I did say, 'You must use your own judgment,'" which highlights the delicate balance he is trying to maintain in his pursuit of a peaceful resolution.
Trump advised individuals to exercise their own discretion, but he also made it clear that he does not want the potential agreement to be jeopardized, as he stated in a telephone interview with ABC News chief Washington correspondent Jonathan Karl on Monday.
The president emphasized that negotiations with Iran are currently ongoing and that efforts are being made to bring the process to a close, asserting that "we're trying to finish it up." During the conversation, Trump refrained from characterizing the situation as "complicated," instead opting to describe it in simpler terms, saying, "It's actually pretty simple, as the party with the most power ultimately emerges victorious, and we possess all the power."
He mentioned that some of his closest associates, whom he referred to as his "best friends," are urging him to resume bombing, but he believes that "they don't understand" the implications of such actions. According to Trump, restarting large-scale U.S. military attacks would not only be expensive but would also have the consequence of the Strait of Hormuz being closed for an extended period of several months.
In a social media post earlier this morning, Trump stated that peace talks aimed at reaching a deal are moving forward, but are contingent upon the absence of ignorance or stupidity hindering the process. When questioned about the meaning behind his statement, Trump elaborated to ABC News, "If individuals are stupid, we will ultimately find ourselves in a situation where we are forced to destroy the entire infrastructure of a nation, which I do not believe is a desirable outcome, because ultimately, somebody will be responsible for rebuilding it."
He proposed that if the United States were to demolish Iran's infrastructure, it is likely that the U.S. would ultimately be involved in helping to cover the costs of rebuilding it.
The reconstruction efforts would necessitate the building of new infrastructure, including bridges, power plants, and various other essential structures, which would be a massive undertaking, with estimates suggesting a cost of around a trillion dollars, or possibly even more.
It is clear that the intention is to provide assistance in the rebuilding process, which is why involvement in rebuilding efforts is likely, with the goal of helping them to rebuild, he explained.
When questioned about whether such an endeavor would resemble a Marshall Plan for Iran, Trump replied, "Yeah," and then promptly added, "However, in return, we will receive half of their oil."
In an interview with Axios, President Donald Trump stated that following the exchange of strikes between Iran and Israel on Sunday night, which marked the first such incident since the United States and Iran agreed to a ceasefire in April, he cautioned Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that if hostilities were to resume, he might soon find himself without support.
Trump recounted the conversation, saying, "I told him, 'Bibi, it is essential that you exercise caution, or you will be on your own very soon,'" during a phone interview that took place on Monday.
As reported by Axios, Trump had a phone conversation with Netanyahu on Sunday evening, during which he urged the Israeli Prime Minister not to retaliate against Iran after they had launched attacks against Israel.
In an interview with Axios, Trump stated that Israel had provided the United States with very late notice regarding the strikes that took place on Sunday.
He explained that by the time the notification was given, the Israeli forces were already en route to carry out their mission, but ultimately, Trump asserted that he was able to limit the scope of the Israeli strike.
During the same interview, Trump revealed that he had received calls from a total of five different countries in the region, all of which urged him to exert pressure on Netanyahu to bring an end to the hostilities.
According to Trump, these countries were extremely concerned about the situation and were keenly interested in seeing the deal that the United States had been negotiating come to fruition, which is why they reached out to him for assistance.
Additionally, Trump claimed that his administration had received communication from the Iranians on Monday morning, in which they expressed a willingness to cease their attacks, provided that Israel would agree to do the same.
Trump elaborated on this point, stating that the Iranians had contacted the United States and explicitly stated that they would refrain from carrying out any further attacks, and they requested that the United States convey a similar message to Israel, urging them to desist from launching any additional attacks.
Iranian state television, specifically IRIB, has announced that the country's airspace is now returning to what are being described as "normal conditions."
On February 28, President Donald Trump made a significant announcement, declaring the initiation of "major combat operations" against Iran, which involved substantial joint strikes by the United States and Israel, targeting a range of sites, including military, government, and infrastructure facilities.
After the declaration of a temporary ceasefire lasting two weeks, the initial round of talks between the United States and Iran, which took place in Pakistan in April, ultimately failed to yield a peace agreement, as the parties involved were unable to reach a mutually acceptable deal.
President Donald Trump subsequently announced that the ceasefire would be extended indefinitely, and the United States would continue to maintain a blockade until the negotiations are concluded, regardless of the outcome, stating that this would be the case "one way or the other."
In a recent development, President Donald Trump appeared to confirm reports that a U.S. Army helicopter had gone down in the vicinity of the Strait of Hormuz, an incident that was initially reported by The New York Times late on Monday.
President Trump asserted that the pilots did not sustain any injuries and that a comprehensive report regarding the incident is scheduled to be released on the following Tuesday.
The president stated, "The pilots are fine," and further emphasized, "Nobody was injured," while also announcing, "We are going to issue a report tomorrow, but the pilots are fine," Trump added this information when he was asked to provide an update on the crash during an informal conversation with reporters on the tarmac in New York, which took place after Game 3 of the NBA finals.
During a telephone conversation with the Israeli Prime Minister, President Donald Trump informed ABC News that he had advised Benjamin Netanyahu to exercise his own judgment, but at the same time, he issued a warning to refrain from taking any actions that could potentially hinder his efforts to negotiate a peace deal with Iran.
President Trump expressed his thoughts by saying, "I do not want to take any actions that could potentially harm the deal, but I did say, 'You must use your own judgment,'" which highlights the delicate balance he is trying to maintain in his pursuit of a peaceful resolution.
Trump advised individuals to exercise their own discretion, but he also made it clear that he does not want the potential agreement to be jeopardized, as he stated in a telephone interview with ABC News chief Washington correspondent Jonathan Karl on Monday.
The president emphasized that negotiations with Iran are currently ongoing and that efforts are being made to bring the process to a close, asserting that "we're trying to finish it up." During the conversation, Trump refrained from characterizing the situation as "complicated," instead opting to describe it in simpler terms, saying, "It's actually pretty simple, as the party with the most power ultimately emerges victorious, and we possess all the power."
He mentioned that some of his closest associates, whom he referred to as his "best friends," are urging him to resume bombing, but he believes that "they don't understand" the implications of such actions. According to Trump, restarting large-scale U.S. military attacks would not only be expensive but would also have the consequence of the Strait of Hormuz being closed for an extended period of several months.
In a social media post earlier this morning, Trump stated that peace talks aimed at reaching a deal are moving forward, but are contingent upon the absence of ignorance or stupidity hindering the process. When questioned about the meaning behind his statement, Trump elaborated to ABC News, "If individuals are stupid, we will ultimately find ourselves in a situation where we are forced to destroy the entire infrastructure of a nation, which I do not believe is a desirable outcome, because ultimately, somebody will be responsible for rebuilding it."
He proposed that if the United States were to demolish Iran's infrastructure, it is likely that the U.S. would ultimately be involved in helping to cover the costs of rebuilding it.
The reconstruction efforts would necessitate the building of new infrastructure, including bridges, power plants, and various other essential structures, which would be a massive undertaking, with estimates suggesting a cost of around a trillion dollars, or possibly even more.
It is clear that the intention is to provide assistance in the rebuilding process, which is why involvement in rebuilding efforts is likely, with the goal of helping them to rebuild, he explained.
When questioned about whether such an endeavor would resemble a Marshall Plan for Iran, Trump replied, "Yeah," and then promptly added, "However, in return, we will receive half of their oil."
In an interview with Axios, President Donald Trump stated that following the exchange of strikes between Iran and Israel on Sunday night, which marked the first such incident since the United States and Iran agreed to a ceasefire in April, he cautioned Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that if hostilities were to resume, he might soon find himself without support.
Trump recounted the conversation, saying, "I told him, 'Bibi, it is essential that you exercise caution, or you will be on your own very soon,'" during a phone interview that took place on Monday.
As reported by Axios, Trump had a phone conversation with Netanyahu on Sunday evening, during which he urged the Israeli Prime Minister not to retaliate against Iran after they had launched attacks against Israel.
In an interview with Axios, Trump stated that Israel had provided the United States with very late notice regarding the strikes that took place on Sunday.
He explained that by the time the notification was given, the Israeli forces were already en route to carry out their mission, but ultimately, Trump asserted that he was able to limit the scope of the Israeli strike.
During the same interview, Trump revealed that he had received calls from a total of five different countries in the region, all of which urged him to exert pressure on Netanyahu to bring an end to the hostilities.
According to Trump, these countries were extremely concerned about the situation and were keenly interested in seeing the deal that the United States had been negotiating come to fruition, which is why they reached out to him for assistance.
Additionally, Trump claimed that his administration had received communication from the Iranians on Monday morning, in which they expressed a willingness to cease their attacks, provided that Israel would agree to do the same.
Trump elaborated on this point, stating that the Iranians had contacted the United States and explicitly stated that they would refrain from carrying out any further attacks, and they requested that the United States convey a similar message to Israel, urging them to desist from launching any additional attacks.
Iranian state television, specifically IRIB, has announced that the country's airspace is now returning to what are being described as "normal conditions."
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