Trump: If Iran does not reach an agreement, I will complete the mission and can destroy most of its bridges in one hour

US President Donald Trump warned Iran against failing to reach an agreement, hinting at a resumption of military strikes. Speaking to Fox News, Trump said, “If Iran does not reach an agreement with us, I will return and complete the mission. But reconstruction will take them a very long time—it will take many years to rebuild. I will simply avoid desalination plants.” Explaining his reasoning, he added, “Who would I be hurting? I would hurt the people. So I don’t seek to do that. It is better to reach an agreement than to destroy the rest of the country.”

He continued, “We might be in the midst of wonderful talks, and then Iran comes and says we are not talking, or that we haven’t discussed the nuclear file. I assure you, we are in a very strong position vis-à-vis Iran, and I can destroy most Iranian bridges in less than an hour.” He added, “The Iranians know that I will destroy bridges and power plants if they do not reach an agreement with us. There are those who want me to destroy Iranian power plants and bridges, but the problem lies in the consequences.”

The US President noted, “The hardest thing to build is a power plant, and the longest is a bridge.” He also remarked that “Mount Al-Fas site is not a big problem.” Trump asserted that Iran had been completely crushed militarily, stating, “They have no navy and no air force, and their army has suffered extremely devastating strikes. We have eliminated Iran’s air defense and destroyed much of their weaponry.”

He emphasized that “the naval blockade we are currently imposing on Iran is so strong that no one can breach it,” adding that while Iran could lay some sea mines and cause chaos, “we control the Strait of Hormuz.” Trump stressed, “We cannot allow Iran to violate agreements anymore.”

Earlier, Trump had told reporters in Michigan that negotiations between the United States and Iran were “very friendly” at present, reiterating that Iran “will never possess a nuclear weapon.” In previous remarks to journalists aboard the presidential plane en route to Michigan, Trump stated that talks with Iran had a “good chance” of yielding a positive outcome. “We will see what happens. I think there is a good chance something will happen,” he said, adding, “If it doesn’t happen, we will return to what we were doing two days ago,” referring to the resumption of US strikes against Iran.

On another front, the US President received Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu yesterday. Following the meeting between the US and Ukrainian presidents, Zelenskyy said the talk with Trump was good, noting that both sides discussed the diplomatic process, the reactivation of peace talks, and licenses for the production of Patriot missile systems. Relations between Zelenskyy and Trump have evolved since the start of the US president’s second term, during which Trump offered to grant Kyiv licenses to produce Patriot air defense missiles this month. Zelenskyy indicated that Ukrainian strikes inside Russia could help end the war.

In a post on the X platform announcing his arrival in the United States, Zelenskyy wrote, “Our top priority is anti-ballistic missile defense and strategic cooperation with America. We must bring peace closer.”

Meanwhile, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s visit to Washington saw him meet President Trump at the White House for the first time since the start of the war with Iran. This marks the eighth meeting between Netanyahu and Trump since the latter returned to the White House last year for his second term.

Upon arriving in Washington, Netanyahu attended an evening memorial dinner honoring the late Senator Lindsey Graham, who died on the 11th, before attending Graham’s funeral yesterday.

A French diplomatic source stated that Paris “authorized the Israeli prime minister’s plane to fly over its territory” on its way to the United States. In September 2025, Netanyahu’s plane avoided the airspace of several countries in central and northern Europe on its way to New York. While France had agreed to the flight, the plane avoided French territory, flying instead over Gibraltar. Israeli media at the time reported that this detour aimed to avoid countries that are signatories to the Rome Statute, which might execute an arrest warrant issued by the International Criminal Court (ICC) against Netanyahu in the event of an emergency landing.

In November 2024, the ICC issued arrest warrants against Netanyahu and his former Defense Minister, Yoav Gallant, on charges of war crimes and crimes against humanity in the Gaza Strip.