How Trump’s messaging on Iran has changed in the 3 days since he said Tehran “agreed to everything”
Washington – Less than 48 hours this weekend, President Trump went as far as to say that Iran has “he agreed to everything,” including working with the US to remove its enriched uranium, warning that if Iran doesn’t sign the US-backed deal, “the whole country explodes.”
The president’s rapid exchange of messages, revealed on the phone with individual reporters and on Truth Social, comes in about two weeks. ceasefire the war with Iran is entering its final days, and as the status of negotiations with Iran is uncertain.
The president also shared contradictory statements about the talks, telling the New York Post on Monday morning that the US delegation, including Vice President JD Vance, would arrive in Islamabad on Monday night. But after the president said that, a White House official said the American delegation had not yet left, but instead, “plans to go to Islamabad soon,” without a date given. Iran said on Monday it had done so no current plans to return to peace talks.
Here’s how the president’s messages have changed since Friday.
Friday afternoon, April 17: Trump says Iran has “agreed to everything”
The president said in a Friday afternoon phone interview with CBS News White House correspondent Weijia Jiang that Iran has “agreed on everything,” and will work with the US to remove its enriched uranium. The president said the US would “take” uranium.
The president also told CBS News that Tehran has agreed to stop supporting terrorist groups, such as Hezbollah and Hamas, which the US considers terrorist organizations.
The words of Mr. Trump arrived just before markets closed over the weekend, and as Iran declared the Strait of Hormuz open, oil prices are falling again stocks jump.
But within hours of the president’s comments to CBS News, a spokesman for Iran’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued a statement that, in translation, “Enriched uranium is as sacred to us as the soil of Iran and will not be transferred anywhere under any circumstances.” The comments went on to say that “transferring uranium to the United States was not an option.”
The conflicting statements raised questions about how much Iran had agreed to, and whether the president’s comments were more optimistic than confirmed facts.
Friday evening: Trump says “I don’t think there are too many significant differences” with Iran
Speaking to reporters when he arrived in Phoenix for a speech, the president said he didn’t think there was a “significant” difference in points with Iran.
The president was asked about reports that Iran has said that there are still big differences in their practices regarding a possible agreement.
“Well, it’s possible,” said the president. “Let’s see what happens. If there is, we’ll have to work it out. But I don’t think there are too many significant differences.”
The president said little about Iran on Saturday
President Trump, who returned to the West Coast on Friday night, said nothing about the war and negotiations on Saturday.
During an Oval Office signing ceremony Saturday morning, when CBS News reporter Olivia Rinaldi tried to ask the president about the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps firing on ships in transit, the president told her and other members of the media to “get out,” adding, “thank you very much, everybody.”
In the afternoon, the president went to his golf club in Northern Virginia.
Sunday morning, April 19, before 8 am: Trump says without a deal, “the whole country is going to be blown up”
The president told Fox News’ Trey Yingst early Sunday morning that, “If Iran doesn’t sign the deal, the whole country explodes.” The president said talks in Pakistan would be Iran’s “last chance.”
The president’s warning backfired on him 7 April comments that “all civilization will die tonight” without a deal. Later on April 7, the president announced the current ceasefire agreement.
Sunday morning, April 19, 8:10 am: Trump says that if Iran does not take the deal, the US will take out the entire energy plant and the bridge.
An ambush that killed a French soldier in Lebanon, which the French president blamed on Hezbollah, and reports that Iran is firing on ships in the Strait of Hormuz have raised concerns about a permanent ceasefire and prospects for a long-term peace deal.
The president took to Truth Social on Sunday morning to say that Iran’s decision to “fire bullets yesterday in the Strait of Hormuz” constituted a “Complete Violation of our Ceasefire Agreement!”
“Most of them were targeted by a French ship, and a freighter from the United Kingdom,” he wrote. “That was not good, was it? My representatives are going to Islamabad, Pakistan – They will be there tomorrow evening, for negotiations.”
Then the president continued, saying that if Iran does not take the deal that the US is offering, the US will attack all of its energy plants and bridges.
“We are offering a DEAL that is fair and reasonable, and I hope they will take it because, if they don’t, the United States will take out every Power Plant, and every bridge, in Iran,” Mr. “NO MORE MR. NICE GUY! They will go down fast, they will go down easy and, if they don’t take the DEAL, it will be my honor to do what needs to be done, what should have been done in Iran, by other Presidents, 47 years ago. IT IS TIME TO END THE IRAN KILLING MACHINE!”
Monday morning, April 20: Trump says that if the end of the conflict expires, “then more bombs will go off”
As part of a call with reporters Monday morning, the president told PBS News that if the deal with Iran expires this week, “a lot of bombs are going to go off.”
The two-week suspension is expected to end Tuesday night, unless an extension or other deal is agreed.
Mr. Trump told Bloomberg on Monday morning that it is “very unlikely” that he would extend the ceasefire if a deal is not reached by the deadline. He also told Bloomberg that the ceasefire would expire Wednesday night Washington time, not Tuesday.
