The President of the United States, Donald Trump, has acknowledged this Wednesday that he is not sure if he wants to reach a new understanding with Iran, although he has stressed that, in any case, Washington will not allow Tehran to develop nuclear weapons.
"I know them already and I'm not sure I want to make a deal with them. We can play those games, but I'm not sure I want to make a deal," the US leader said at a press conference after concluding the NATO leaders' summit held in Ankara.
Trump avoided specifying what steps his government will take after the increase in tension in recent hours, marked by reciprocal attacks with Iran and mutual accusations of violating the agreement reached in June, which provided for a 60-day truce and the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz.
The White House tenant limited himself to emphasizing that the United States' priority is to prevent the Islamic Republic from having nuclear capabilities. "We are never going to let Iran have a nuclear weapon, because that is much more important than the numbers you are talking about," he replied to a journalist who had asked him about the rise in oil prices as a result of the instability in Hormuz.
"I have to make sure of one thing: that we don't have lunatics controlling nuclear weapons. And we have already avoided that. There is no way they will have a nuclear weapon," the president insisted.
After statements prior to the summit, in which he declared the ceasefire broken and harshly criticized the Iranian leadership, whom he called "scum" and "sick people," Trump has lowered his tone on this occasion and has even remarked that the current leaders are "much more rational" than their predecessors.
"Whether at level one or level two. Level one has already passed. Level two has already passed. This is level three," he commented on Washington's current interlocutors. "I think they are more rational, but, based on their actions over the last week or two, they are not doing their people any favors," he added, referring to the resurgence of tension.
Trump sees himself as "number one" on Iran's target list
In this context, and after confirming that he will not return to the United States in the new presidential plane provided by Qatar, Trump joked about the possible security risks associated with the use of this aircraft to leave Ankara.
"I am number one on the list of people to be eliminated from Iran. I am number one. But the truth is, I don't care, because I am doing my job," he assured.
The president explained that the aircraft will make a stop at a U.S. military base, where it can be seen by troops deployed in Europe. In a social media message, he specified that the stop will be at Mildenhall Air Force Base in the United Kingdom, although he did not clarify whether it is for security reasons.
In previous statements, the leader had declared the ceasefire and the memorandum of understanding with Iran to be over, although the real impact of these words is not yet clear at a time when the negotiation process with Tehran is severely deteriorated. "As far as I'm concerned, it's over. I don't want to deal with them anymore. They are scum. Do you know what scum is? They are sick people. They are led by sick people," he reiterated.
Throughout the day, moreover, he again threatened possible immediate military action against Iran. "I'm going to give you a little warning: we're going to hit them hard tonight," the White House chief declared in other statements made in Ankara, on the sidelines of the NATO summit.