American President Donald Trump said Thursday that an Iranian attack against American soldiers could lead to a rapid resumption of hostilities between Washington and Tehran. Asked at the White House about the possibility of such a scenario, he replied that it would be “a good reason” to restart military action and that he would act “very quickly” if American soldiers were killed.
These statements come as the recently concluded ceasefire between the United States and Iran officially remains in force. According to an article from Wall Street Journal published Wednesday, Trump has already indicated privately to his advisers that he would consider ending the truce if Iran attacked American forces.
Despite several recent incidents, American officials cited by the daily believe that the agreement still stands. They mention in particular the strikes carried out Tuesday evening by the American army on the Iranian island of Qeshm, followed by Iranian missile and drone fire towards Kuwait.
On the nuclear issue, Donald Trump once again displayed his optimism about the possibility of reaching an agreement with Tehran. However, he reaffirmed his red line: prevent Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons. The US president criticized the policies of his predecessors Barack Obama and Joe Biden, saying they had encouraged the Islamic Republic to pursue its nuclear ambitions. Conversely, he assures that the agreement currently being negotiated would guarantee that Iran can never acquire atomic weapons.
Trump also indicated that he was not considering an operation aimed at seizing Iranian enriched uranium, believing that such a move was not necessary.
The American president finally mentioned the ceasefire announced between Israel and Hezbollah. Rejecting the idea that the Lebanese terrorist organization had refused the agreement, he said that Hezbollah itself had contacted American mediators to discuss an end to the fighting. Trump said he had discussed this issue with Benjamin Netanyahu and said he hoped that a period of lasting stability could finally begin for Lebanon after years of conflict.
