President Donald Trump raised the stakes on international security Sunday morning, declaring the United States is prepared to use severe military force to secure Iran’s highly enriched uranium if a diplomatic agreement cannot be reached.
Appearing on NBC’s “Meet the Press with Kristen Welker,” Trump detailed his administration’s strategy for dismantling Iran’s nuclear capabilities, evaluating the country’s remaining military strength, and navigating relations with its new leadership.
Trump stated that his preference is to secure and remove Iran’s nuclear material—which he referred to as “nuclear dust”—through a peaceful, cooperative agreement. Under a prospective deal, Trump said U.S. equipment would be used to extract and destroy the material either onsite or offsite, operating under peaceful conditions “with them, or without them.”
However, the president drew a firm line if negotiations stall.
“If we don’t make a deal, then we’re going to take them out militarily very harshly,” Trump told Welker, adding that the U.S. would ensure troop safety before initiating such an operation. When asked if he knows the exact location of all of Iran’s nuclear material, Trump responded, “Yes. Yes.”
The president ruled out any upfront financial incentives or sanctions relief to jumpstart negotiations, stating that such measures would only follow verified compliance. “Comes after. Yeah. If they behave, if they do a good job, we start talking,” Trump said. He explicitly contrasted his approach with the Obama administration’s 2016 financial transfers to Iran, criticizing the previous delivery of $1.7 billion in cash. “That never works, by the way,” Trump noted.
Addressing criticisms regarding the timeline of his administration’s military campaign, Trump defended the pace of operations, noting he is only three months into the effort.
“These people have been fighting for 47 years,” Trump said. “I’m moving very fast. I’m into three months. You know, Vietnam lasted 19 years. I’m into my third month, and all they do is say, ‘Woah, when are you going to win?'”
According to Trump, U.S. military strikes have significantly degraded Iranian forces, neutralizing most of their drone factories, launching pads, and missile manufacturing facilities. While declining to provide an exact inventory of Iran’s remaining arsenal, Trump estimated that the country retains roughly “21-22% of their missiles” alongside remaining drone capacities.
The interview also touched on Iran’s internal leadership dynamics following the transition of power to the son of the late Supreme Leader. Trump offered a cautiously optimistic assessment of the younger Khamenei, despite noting he faces severe physical limitations.
“Younger. I think more rational. Injured. He’s pretty badly injured,” Trump observed. “So there’s a certain bravery there. A lot of people, if they were injured that badly, they wouldn’t be talking about, you know, ‘How are we doing with the United States?’ They’d have other things on their mind.”
Turning to broader regional dynamics, Trump clarified that he is not making regional stability pacts a mandatory prerequisite for immediate diplomacy with Iran. Specifically, Trump confirmed he is “not at all” demanding that Lebanon be integrated into a short-term deal.
While expressing a desire for a “more surgical attack on Hezbollah” to assist Lebanon, Trump suggested neighboring Syria could play a constructive role under its current leadership. “Syria’s doing a very good job of cleaning up their act,” Trump said. “They have a very good leader. They have a leader that’s really done a good job in a short period of time. And he would love to help.”
READ: Trump To Fed On Strong Jobs Data: ‘Don’t Kill Success’ With Higher Interest Rates
Please make a small donation to the Tampa Free Press to help sustain independent journalism. Your contribution enables us to continue delivering high-quality, local, and national news coverage.
Sign up: Subscribe to our free newsletter for a curated selection of top stories delivered straight to your inbox
