US President Donald Trump warned that military action against Iran remains on the table, telling reporters that the future of the fragile ceasefire hinges on Tehran's conduct.
"As long as they respect us, we're gonna be fine. If they don't respect us, things wouldn't be good," Trump said during an Oval Office appearance on Monday.
Trump also said that if Iran doesn't live up to their agreement or if they're not behaving, "I will do what I have to do."
The comments came as Trump fielded a barrage of questions on Iran, Lebanon and the durability of the memorandum of understanding signed with Tehran earlier this month.
Pressed on whether he was willing to risk economic fallout by striking Iran again, Trump argued that the nuclear threat would always take precedence. "A nuclear weapon supersedes depression. Depression's real bad. Nuclear weapon will cause depression much more quickly," he said.
When a reporter pointed out that Iran had not fully abided by the MOU, Trump pushed back on suggestions he had softened his stance. "I didn't say would cause a depression, I said it could cause a depression. I said I don't want to be Herbert Hoover," he said, referencing the 31st US president, widely blamed for deepening the Great Depression, whom Trump has repeatedly invoked since the G7 summit in France to justify pursuing a deal over continued war.
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Asked if Iran's economic devastation gave Tehran leverage in talks, Trump dismissed the framing outright. "Oh, you're so — their whole country is gone. When you ask a question like that, it's so stupid," he said.
Trump was also questioned on Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's public insistence that Israeli forces would not withdraw from Lebanon, a stance the White House has flagged as a sticking point in the broader regional truce.
Trump appeared unfazed, saying, "Well, I'm not gonna tell you what I'm gonna do, but it gets solved. I'm a problem solver. I get problems solved real fast, including with BB."
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Trump's remarks came as he said preventing Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon outweighs concerns about the economic fallout of prolonged military action.
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