Trump: "No Need for Agreement to Secure Iran's Enriched Uranium... We Will Win by Any Means"

Increasing Pressure on Iran
Warns of "Full-Scale War if U.S. Soldiers Are Killed"

AP Yonhap News

U.S. President Donald Trump stated that the United States could secure Iran’s enriched uranium even if a nuclear agreement with Iran is not reached. This remark is interpreted as an effort to further increase pressure on Iran amid stalled negotiations for an end-of-war agreement. Iran, in response, has insisted that it cannot engage in end-of-war agreement talks until the conflict between Israel and the pro-Iranian armed group Hezbollah in Lebanon comes to a halt.

On June 5 (local time), President Trump said during a press conference in the Oval Office, “We could secure (the enriched uranium) right now. If we want to, they won’t be able to stop us,” adding, “However, there is no reason to do so immediately. The material is already sealed, and we have cameras monitoring it.”

In response to reporters’ questions about whether the death of U.S. military personnel would be a sufficient reason to resume a full-scale war, Trump said, “If they kill U.S. soldiers, we will resume (the war) very swiftly,” emphasizing, “We will win, whether militarily, through a written agreement, or in any other way.” By suggesting that military options remain on the table, he pressed Iran further.

The Iranian side remains firm in its position that it will not resume negotiations with the United States until the conflict between Israel and Hezbollah ceases. According to Iran’s state-run Press TV, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) issued a statement emphasizing, “Israel must immediately halt its attacks on Lebanon and withdraw from the occupied Lebanese territories, returning swiftly to the prewar borders, and Lebanon’s territorial integrity must be recognized.” The statement also stressed, “Unless there is a ceasefire on all fronts, including Lebanon, we cannot accept an end-of-war agreement.”

Previously, Hezbollah announced that it had agreed to a ceasefire with Israel and Lebanon through U.S. mediation and would consent to a truce with Israel. However, just a few hours later, it rejected the agreement, stating that adherence to the ceasefire would be tantamount to surrender to Israel. Hezbollah leader Naim Qassem strongly criticized Israel, saying, “This ceasefire agreement is an illusion. It is surrender and defeat, and it serves the enemy’s objectives.”

Experts have also pointed out that a unilateral ceasefire announced under U.S. mediation is unlikely to be realized in practice. Mohanad Hage Ali, a senior fellow at the Carnegie Middle East Center, told The New York Times (NYT), “This agreement is merely another performative ceasefire,” adding, “It is a unilateral truce with no substantial commitments.”

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.