US President Trump: I think a deal with Iran will be made

US President Donald Trump held a bilateral meeting with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi as part of his engagements on the third and final day of the G7 Summit. During the meeting on the sidelines of the summit held in the French resort town of Evian, Trump stated that he had very good discussions with Indian Prime Minister Modi and that many positive developments were taking place between the US and India.

"I had two good meetings with Zelensky"

When asked about the possibility of directing the momentum gained from the Iran deal toward efforts to end the war in Ukraine, Trump replied, "I have had very good meetings with (Ukrainian President Volodymyr) Zelensky and (Russian President Vladimir) Putin. We would like to see this end as well. I have ended eight wars. Honestly, I thought this was one of the wars that could be ended easily. But (the leaders) don't like each other very much. That makes it very difficult. However, we are working on it. I had two good meetings with Zelensky. They would like to be able to do this too. We have been at this for a while and we are very close."

He said he wants to visit India in the future

Stating that he wants to visit India in the future, Trump said, "Our last visit to India was truly wonderful."

When asked if he thinks India will play a major role in West Asia, Trump replied, "I think India plays a major role in everything."

He announced that sanctions on Russia are being "evaluated"

Regarding the possibility of reimposing sanctions on Russia, Trump replied, "We are evaluating it. We are looking at how much oil prices will fall." Trump said, "Prices are falling really hard. I think they are around 74-75 dollars right now. They will soon return to the levels of four months ago."

"G7 leaders are happy that Iran will not have nuclear weapons"

Stating that Iran will not be able to possess nuclear weapons and that the leaders at the G7 are very pleased with this situation, Trump said, "I can say that the Prime Minister (Modi) also feels very strongly about this. The G7 leaders and the other leaders present here feel the same way. They were all extremely pleased. They couldn't be happier."

"This agreement is like a wall against nuclear weapons"

Reiterating his statements that no one other than himself has taken any steps regarding Iran, Trump said, "No one did anything. (Former US President Barack) Obama's deal was one of the stupidest deals I have ever seen. It was a path that led to nuclear weapons. My deal, however, is a wall. They will not be able to possess nuclear weapons. This agreement is like a wall against nuclear weapons."

When asked if he wanted European allies to send minesweeper ships to the Strait of Hormuz, he replied, "We don't need them. But if they want to send them, that's fine."

Trump added that all European allies who possess this equipment have made commitments and want to be involved in the process.

"I think a deal will be made, they want to return to normal life"

When asked how sure he is that Iran will sign the deal, Trump said, "Deals are interesting things. I have made deals my whole life. I have seen deals that looked 'one hundred percent done' not happen, and deals that were given no chance happen easily. So, you never know how deals will turn out. But you will find out very soon. I think a deal will be made. They want to sign it and return to normal life."

Arguing that the US neutralizing Iranian Commander Qasem Soleimani was "the event of the last 50 years in the Middle East" and that Iran became a very different country after that, Trump said, "Then I terminated Barack Obama's terrible nuclear deal. That deal was opening the path to nuclear weapons for Iran, and I ended it. Then, I stopped Iran once again with B-2 bombers. In my opinion, these are all major events in world history. Because they prevented Iran from possessing nuclear weapons. Now we will do it one more time and see how it turns out."

Trump stated, "This is a memorandum of understanding, but it is a very strong document. It is not an ordinary two-paragraph text. It is a long and quite detailed text. It is a memorandum that will turn into a normal contract afterward. I think they will sign it. If they don't, that's fine too. Then we will have to restart the process. But we don't lose. We have the most powerful military in the world."

Trump said, "They want to make a deal. They are extremely ready to make a deal."

"If India is attacked, we will be by their side to help"

Stating that there are great relations between the US and India, Trump said, "We don't have a deal (in the defense sector). But if India is attacked, we will be by their side to help. If someone attacks this man (Modi), we will stand by him."

Emphasizing during these remarks that the US has the most powerful military in the world, Trump said, "You saw it in Venezuela. It took 48 minutes. Now our relations with Venezuela are great, and we have recovered the cost of the war 40 times over. Millions of barrels of oil were extracted. This benefits Venezuela. We benefit too. Venezuela benefits too. Then we come to Iran. Actually, we defeated Iran militarily in the first week."

He said he wants Israel to act with common sense

When asked if he wants Israel to stop its military activities, Trump replied, "No, I want Israel to protect itself, but I also want them to act with common sense while doing so."

"Suddenly everyone started wanting to be involved in the process"

When asked about the change in the approach of European leaders, Trump said, "I think they also think I was right. They feel good about themselves now. Suddenly everyone started wanting to be involved in the process. Actually, there is no need for that because the matter is largely over. Still, everyone wants to be involved."

Trump added, "There were other leaders we met with besides the G7, and quite a large number of leaders participated. They are all ready to be involved in the process."