US President Donald Trump, speaking at the White House, stressed that Iran will absolutely not be allowed to obtain nuclear weapons. "Iran will not have a nuclear weapon, and they have 100 percent accepted this," Trump said.
Trump alleged that if Iran acquired a nuclear weapon, it would use it "within the first hour," adding, "We will never allow this to happen." The US President argued that action against Iran is necessary because Tehran possessing a nuclear weapon would mean "the destruction of Israel and the Middle East and the world coming under great danger."
Stating that they have dealt a "very heavy blow" to Iran, Trump said, "We are now negotiating with them from a position of absolute strength." Trump claimed that Iran's army, command structure, air force and navy were "100 percent destroyed within just a week and a half" and that 159 Iranian ships had been sunk.
Tehran to receive US farm products
Trump announced that a portion of Iranian funds would be used to purchase large quantities of US wheat, soybeans and corn for the benefit of Tehran. "The process of purchasing agricultural products for Iran will start very soon, and I expect it to be quite large," Trump said, adding, "We have a new market called Iran, a beautiful country that is struggling with food."
The US President said the Strait of Hormuz is open and reached an all-time high of 19 million barrels of oil outflow the previous day. He noted that oil prices have seen a sharp and significant drop, which will be followed by a drop in the prices of all other products. Trump dismissed reports claiming Iran is in a better position today as "fake news," saying, "Iran desperately wants to make a deal with us. I think we will probably make a deal with them."
Joint message from Manama meeting
Meanwhile, the final communique of the Manama meeting, attended by US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and his Gulf counterparts, called for maintaining the momentum of negotiations to reach a final agreement preventing Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons. Participants stressed their rejection of any restrictions on passage through the Strait of Hormuz.
The communique noted the importance of reopening the Strait of Hormuz, stating that unconditional and unrestricted freedom of navigation guaranteed under international law is essential for regional and global security. The meeting also welcomed the start of a plan by Oman and the International Maritime Organization (IMO) to evacuate more than 11,000 seafarers stranded in the region.
In his speech at the meeting, Rubio said Washington seeks a lasting peace with Iran, but not at the expense of the security and prosperity of its allies in the region. The ministers welcomed the memorandum of understanding signed between Washington and Tehran on June 18 and the mediation efforts conducted by Pakistan and Qatar.
Oman's temporary corridor and Iran's warning
Oman's Foreign Minister Badr al-Busaidi said his country supports international efforts to ensure navigation safety in the Strait of Hormuz with a special responsibility. Busaidi emphasized that future regulations do not include transit fees and highlighted the importance of the success of the US-Iran agreement.
Oman announced last Wednesday that a temporary corridor for the passage of ships through the Strait of Hormuz had been allocated in coordination with the IMO. However, the IMO suspended the evacuation plan after an British warship reported being hit by a projectile off the coast of Oman. The IMO Director General announced that the plan would remain suspended until security guarantees were provided for ships on the evacuation list and in the area.
The news of the attack came hours after Iran threatened ships against using a UN-approved route without Tehran's permission. The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps stated that declaring a new ship passage route through Hormuz without coordination with Iran is "unacceptable and extremely dangerous," warning that necessary measures would be taken against violator ships.
