Trump says US will meet with Iran next week

TEHRAN/ THE HAGUE/TEL AVIV  –  US President Donald Trump on Wednesday said Iran will need oil money to “put the country back into shape” and said he doesn’t have an issue with China purchasing their oil, signaling possible sanctions flexibility on Iran. “Look, they just had a war. The war was fought. They fought it bravely. I’m not giving up,” Trump told reporters when asked whether allowing China to buy Iranian oil — as he said he’d like to see — would mark the end of his administration’s “maximum pressure” campaign on Iran.

“They’re in the oil business. I mean, I could stop it if I want to – sell China the oil myself. I don’t want to do that. They’re going to need money to put that country back into shape. We want to see that happen,” he said of Iran.

“If they’re going to sell oil, they’re going to sell oil. We’re not taking over the oil,” he added.

On his way to the NATO summit on Tuesday, Trump posted on Truth Social: “China can now continue to purchase Oil from Iran. Hopefully, they will be purchasing plenty from the US, also. It was my Great Honor to make this happen!”

A senior White House official clarified later Tuesday that the president’s post was not an announcement of sanctions relief.

“The president was simply calling attention to the fact that, because of his decisive actions to obliterate Iran’s nuclear facilities and broker a ceasefire between Israel and Iran, the Strait of Hormuz will not be impacted, which would have been devastating for China,” the official said.

“The president continues to call on China and all countries to import our state-of-the-art oil rather than import Iranian oil in violation of U.S. sanctions,” they added.

Also, President Donald Trump told reporters that the US will meet with Iran next week about a potential nuclear agreement, though he said repeatedly that he doesn’t believe such a deal “is that necessary.”

“We’re going to talk to them next week, with Iran. We may sign an agreement, I don’t know. To me, I don’t think it’s that necessary. I mean, they had a war, they fought, now they’re going back to their world. I don’t care if I have an agreement or not,” Trump said during a news conference at the end of the NATO summit in The Hague.

Trump added that his administration would be asking for the same type of commitments it sought in negotiations with Iran prior to recent heightened tensions in the Middle East.

“The only thing would be asking for is what we were asking for before,” Trump said, adding again that he does not believe such an agreement is necessary due to his insistence that the US successfully destroyed Iran’s nuclear capabilities, despite early intelligence assessments suggesting otherwise.

“We want no nuclear, but we destroyed the nuclear. In other words, it’s destroyed. I said ‘Iran will not have nuclear.’ Well, we blew it up. It’s blown up to kingdom come, and so I don’t feel very strongly about it. If we got a document, it wouldn’t be bad. We’re going to meet with them,” the president said.

Trump told reporters he had asked Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who also serves as his national security adviser, as they were walking up to the stage if he wanted to draw up an agreement. Trump said he believed the US could get the Iranians to sign such a document.

Rubio told reporters that such a deal depends on Iran’s willingness to negotiate directly with the US, not through intermediaries.

US President Donald Trump has begun his news conference at the NATO summit in the Netherlands.

Trump touted the success of the US strikes on Iran’s nuclear facilities during the opening of his remarks.

“As you know, last weekend the United States successfully carried out a massive precision strike on Iran’s nuclear enrichment facilities and it was very, very successful. It was called obliteration. No other military on earth could have done it, and now this incredible exercise of American strength has paved the way for peace with a historic ceasefire agreement,” Trump said.

At least 627 people were killed in Iran during its conflict with Israel in the period between June 13 and June 25, Iranian state media outlet IRIB reported on Wednesday, citing the country’s health ministry.

At least 4,870 other people were injured during that time, IRIB said.

The health ministry said 86% of the victims died at the scene of Israeli attacks, as cited by IRIB.

At least 35 air defense personnel killed in Israeli attacks, Iranian media says

At least 35 Air Defense Force personnel were killed in the Israeli attacks between June 13 and Tuesday, Iran’s semi-official Student News Network (SNN) said today.

SNN published the names of those who were killed. Among them were two brigadier generals, seven colonels and three lieutenant colonels.

Iran to hold funerals Saturday for top commanders, scientists killed in Israel war

Iran will hold on Saturday state funerals for senior military commanders and top scientists killed during the country’s 12-day war with Israel, official media said.

“The national funeral ceremony for… commanders and scientists martyred in the Zionist regime’s aggression will be held on Saturday from 8:00 am (0430 GMT)” in Tehran, state news agency IRNA reported on Wednesday, a day after a ceasefire took hold.

IRNA also reported that Hossein Salami, the Revolutionary Guards chief killed by Israel on the war’s first day, will be laid to rest on Thursday in central Iran.

Iran lawmakers back suspending cooperation with UN nuclear watchdog

Iranian lawmakers voted Wednesday in favour of suspending cooperation with the United Nations’ nuclear watchdog, state TV said, after a 12-day war that saw Israeli and US strikes on nuclear facilities.

“The International Atomic Energy Agency, which refused to even marginally condemn the attack on Iran’s nuclear facilities, put its international credibility up for auction,” Iran’s parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf said, according to state TV.

Ghalibaf said “the Atomic Energy Organisation of Iran will suspend its cooperation with the IAEA until the security of the nuclear facilities is guaranteed.”

The decision still requires the approval of the Guardian Council, a body empowered to vet legislation.

In parliament, 221 lawmakers voted in favour and one abstained, with no votes against from those present in in the 290-seat legislature, according to state TV.

Israel on June 13 launched a major bombardment campaign that targeted Iranian nuclear facilities and killed top military commanders and nuclear scientists.

On Sunday, Israel’s ally the United States launched unprecedented strikes of its own on Iranian nuclear facilities at Fordo, Isfahan and Natanz, before a ceasefire was agreed on Tuesday.

Lawmakers chanted “Death to America” and “Death to Israel” after the vote on Wednesday, state TV reported.

Since the start of the war, Iranian officials have sharply criticised the IAEA for failing to condemn the Israeli attacks.

Israeli commandos operated inside Iran during war, IDF chief says

Israeli commando forces operated inside Iran amid the war, IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir says in a video statement.

“We caused significant damage to [Iran’s] missile capabilities, we removed hundreds of launch-ers, and we caused a significant delay with their force build-up plans. In addition, we managed to achieve intelligence, technological, and aerial superiority. We reached a level of operational freedom in the skies of Iran and in every location we chose to act in,” Zamir says.

He says these achievements “were made possible, among other things, thanks to full coordination and deception by air and ground commando forces.”

“These forces operated covertly deep in enemy territory and carried out operations that granted us operational freedom of action,” Zamir says.

US President Donald Trump ordered Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to “turn the planes around” yesterday when they were on their way to strike back after Iran broke the incipi-ent ceasefire, Channel 13 reports.

There seemed to be a misunderstanding over a major strike Israel carried out earlier that night, after the ceasefire was announced but before it went into effect.

“You dropped your entire arsenal on them,” said Trump.

“That’s not true, we did not attack since the ceasefire went into effect,” responded Netanyahu. “That was beforehand.”