Trump warns Iran against rebuilding nuclear programme during meeting with Netanyahu: Video
US President Donald Trump has warned that Iran would face severe military action if it attempts to rebuild its nuclear programme, while stressing that he is not seeking regime change in Tehran.
Trump made the remarks on Monday, December 29, during a meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida.
“Now I hear that Iran is trying to build up again, and if they are, we’re going to have to knock them down. We’ll knock the hell out of them,” Trump said. He added, however, that he hoped escalation could be avoided, noting reports that Tehran was interested in negotiations. “If they want to make a deal, that’s much smarter,” he said.
Trump said he was not advocating the overthrow of Iran’s leadership, pointing instead to the country’s economic challenges. “I’m not going to talk about overthrow of a regime. They’ve got a lot of problems in Iran. They have tremendous inflation. Their economy is bust,” he said.
Asked whether he would support Israeli military action if Iran continued developing ballistic missiles or nuclear weapons, Trump responded affirmatively. “If they will continue with the missiles? Yes. The nuclear? Fast. Okay. One will be. Yes, absolutely. The other we will do it immediately,” he said.
During the meeting, Trump also praised Netanyahu, describing him as a “wartime prime minister” who had guided Israel through a period of intense conflict. “He’s done a phenomenal job. He’s taken Israel through a very dangerous period of trauma,” Trump said, adding that Israel’s survival had been at stake.
Trump has written to Israeli President Isaac Herzog, urging him to grant Netanyahu a pardon in the corruption cases currently facing the Israeli leader.
The meeting comes ahead of further talks between Trump and Netanyahu, with media reports indicating that the White House is eager to advance discussions on the second phase of the Gaza ceasefire deal. That phase is expected to focus on post-war governance, demilitarisation, and the possible deployment of an international stabilisation force, alongside longer-term reconstruction efforts.
Israel has said the body of the last remaining Israeli hostage in Gaza, Ran Gvili, should be returned as a priority. Significant disagreements remain over what the demilitarisation of Hamas would entail, with Israeli and Hamas positions sharply diverging. Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz has insisted that the Israel Defence Forces would “never fully withdraw” from Gaza.
This story is written and edited by the Global South World team, you can contact us here.
