Trump departs G7 summit, says Strait of Hormuz will be opened 'in full' within two days
Trump touts Iran Nuclear weapons deal as G7 wraps
President Trump wrapped up his trip to the G7 Summit in France with final remarks focused on Iran. The president highlighted his proposed deal aimed at preventing Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons and also confirmed that the United States would not assist in rebuilding Iran. During the appearance, President Trump also answered questions from reporters on a range of other topics.
President Donald Trump spoke at the Group of Seven summit on Wednesday discussing Iran and the Strait of Hormuz, which he expects to be opened "in full" within two days.
On Tuesday, G7 leaders spent most of the meetings discussing the war between Russia and Ukraine and a tentative deal to end the Iran war, according to The Associated Press.
Trump and his fellow leaders are closing the formal talks with sessions on the future of artificial intelligence and fostering economic growth.
The G7 includes France, Canada, Germany, Italy, Japan, the U.S. and the United Kingdom. The three-day summit
U.S. President Donald Trump (C) is joined by (L-R) U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer, U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent as he speaks at a press conference duri
Trump says new Iranian leaders are smarter than old guard
1:30 p.m. ET: President Trump complimented Iran's new leadership as smarter and more patriotic than their predecessors during a Wednesday press conference at the G-7 Summit in France.
"They have a new group of leaders that I think is, actually, I think they're smarter. I think they're very smart. I think they're far less radicalized," Trump said.
"I think they're really good," he said. "They love their country. You know, you talk about regime change. Nobody will say that. But I guess that's one set of leaders is all gone. The second set of leaders is all gone. Their third set of leaders a little bit gone, but for the most part, and frankly, I think it's regime change. I think they're going to behave much differently. I think they see a different way of life," he said.
Trump reveals that Israel refused to kill Soleimani so he did
1:15 p.m. ET: President Donald Trump revealed Wednesday that Israel balked at the opportunity to strike Iranian General Qasem Soleimani in 2020 so he made the decision that the U.S. would do it.
Speaking at a press conference at the G-7 Summit in France, Trump claimed that the U.S. airstrike which eliminated Quds Force General Qassem Soleimani came after Israel "didn't want to do it."
"In all fairness, because they've been wonderful to me, Israel. But they didn't want to do that attack. They were all set the night before the attack. They informed me they didn't want to do it, so I had to make a decision. I made the decision to do it," Trump said.
Trump slams Obama-era Iran deal, says US goes back to bombing in 60 days if terms don't get done
1:00 p.m. ET: President Donald Trump slammed former President Barack Obama's Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) as "one of the worst deals" while speaking at the G-7 Summit in France on Wednesday.
"I made it very tough for them when I terminated the Barack Hussein Obama catastrophe. JCPOA, one of the worst deals. NAFTA might have been worse, but that was worse economically. This deal was really dangerous," Trump said.
Trump withdrew from the agreement in 2018, reimposing economic sanctions on Iran that Obama's deal had relieved in 2015.
"What he did, he gave them everything, including a lot of money, which we don't give them," Trump added Wednesday.
Trump also said that the U.S. would return to bombing Iran if the country did not adhere to stipulations in the recently agreed-to memorandum of understanding.
"If it doesn't get done in 60 days, we go back to bombing. You know, I don't want to do that because it's so good. But, we might have to because we're never going to let them have a nuclear weapon, but they've agreed not to. And you'll see that very clearly in the agreement," he said.
Trump says world leaders have committed to assisting Hormuz mine clearing, but 'we don't need them'
12:45 p.m. ET: Trump revealed that numerous world leaders have offered to assist the U.S. in removing Iranian mines from the Strait of Hormuz but insisted "we don't need them" while speaking at the G-7 Summit on Wednesday.
"We don't need them, but if they want to send them I think it's good," he responded to a question about whether or not he wanted European nations to send minesweeping boats.
When asked if any nations have committed to helping, Trump said "yes, all of them. The ones that have that kind of equipment have.
"But every one of them have committed to being involved in some form," he replied.
Trump again remarks on G7 dropping Russia
10:45 a.m. ET: President Donald Trump told reporters after meeting with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi that he was having "great meetings" with a "group of people used to be the G8."
"Now it’s the G7. I don’t know, that was a good deal or not," Trump remarked.
Trump has previously said removing Russia from the G8 in 2014 after it annexed Crimea was a "mistake."
Trump not certain on whether Friday signing ceremony of potential Iran deal will happen
10:30 a.m. ET: When asked by reporters how confident he is that Friday’s ceremonial signing will take place, President Trump remarked on the unpredictability of deals, according to The Associated Press.
"You never know with deals, do you? But you’re going to find out pretty soon," Trump said.
He added: "I think it’ll be done. They want to sign. They want to get back to a normal life."
Trump said the memorandum of understanding that he signed with Tehran is "a very strong one" and "a long and, you know, pretty detailed memorandum that goes into a regular contract."
Trump delays Clayton’s nomination for intelligence director, but committee chairman promises hearing
10:15 a.m. ET: The Associated Press reported that President Donald Trump said Wednesday that he was delaying federal prosecutor Jay Clayton's nomination to lead the U.S. intelligence community in a bid to force Congress to act on a voter ID bill that currently lacks enough support for passage, but a key senator said he’d push forward with a hearing.
The chairman of the Senate intelligence committee, Tom Cotton of Arkansas, said he planned to proceed with Wednesday’s confirmation hearing unless Trump orders Clayton to not appear or withdraws the nomination.
Tump said in a social media post just hours before the hearing that he will keep Bill Pulte, a top U.S. housing official, as acting director of national intelligence.
According to the AP, Democratic and Republican legislators have opposed Pulte for this role, citing his lack of known experience in intelligence and his use of his current administration perch to target Trump's perceived foes.
Trump says US won’t spend 10 cents to help Iran rebuild
7:35 a.m. ET: The tentative agreement would provide Iran with at least $300 billion to rebuild after the intense U.S. and Israeli-led bombing campaign, according to leaked copies of the document.
But Trump insists the U.S. won’t aid the effort.
"We’re not putting up ten cents," Trump said while meeting with Egypt’s president. "People can decide to do that, but that’s up to them. We are not investing in it, and we do not have a fund."
Trump said he’s not asking Gulf countries to contribute. He said other countries are free to do so if they choose.
Trump says agreement with Iran still hasn’t been finalized
7:15 a.m. ET: President Donald Trump told reporters, "It’s a memorandum of understanding and if I don’t like it, we’ll go back to shooting at them, dropping bombs."
Trump also repeated his claim that his negotiating prowess and willingness to use military action pushed the Iranians to make a deal.
"Nobody could have made this deal," he said.
The Source: Information for this story was provided by The Associated Press. This story was reported from Washington, D.C.