In response to the New York Times Report that President Trump had reportedly waved off an Israeli strike plan on Iranian nuclear facilities, the President stated that:
“I wouldn’t say waved off. I’m not in a rush to do it, because I think that Iran has a chance to have a great country and to live happily without death, and I’d like to see that. That’s my first option. If there’s a second option, I think it would be very bad for Iran. And I think Iran is wanting to talk. I hope they’re wanting to talk. It’s going to be very good for them if they do. And I’d like to see Iran thrive in the future, do fantastically well…I know the Iranian people, they’re incredible people, always have been very smart, very energetic, very successful people. And I don’t want to do anything that’s going to hurt anybody, I really don’t, but Iran can’t have a nuclear weapon. It’s pretty simple. It’s really simple. We’re not looking to take their industry. We’re not looking to take their land. All we’re saying is you can’t have a nuclear weapon. The deal that was made, the deal that was made with Obama, that deal would have expired already. It was a terrible deal. It would have expired, and that gave them a clear path to a nuclear weapon. I wouldn’t have accepted, that’s why I terminated the deal. Number one, it was way too short. You know, when countries are involved, you don’t make short term deals. These are countries with long lives. I terminated that, and it was a great termination, because it didn’t allow us to do anything. Once it was terminated, you know what the deal was, it was a terrible deal, really one of many terrible deals made by the U.S., but no, I’d like to see Iran thrive, and they can do that, I think, very easily, or they can do it the other way. The other way is not going to be good for them. It’s gonna be really bad for them.”