BEIJING, US President Donald Trump said Iran is “done” and must negotiate a deal to end the ongoing conflict or face destruction.
“Either make a deal or destroy Iran,” Trump told Fox News in an interview on the final day of a three-day trip to China. He emphasized that the United States cannot “let Iran possess nuclear weapons.”
“They’re screwed now; they can make a deal or they’re going to be wiped out,” Trump said after an in-depth discussion with Chinese President Xi Jinping on a variety of issues, including Iran.
Trump is scheduled to meet Xi Jinping again on Friday, then have lunch before returning home to wrap up his visit to China.
Trump noted in the interview that “President Xi would like to see the United States and Iran reach an agreement.” He added that Xi Jinping is willing to help, saying: “If I can help in any way, I am willing to help.” Trump expressed his belief that China also does not want Iran to have nuclear weapons.
In addition, Trump also mentioned that General Dan Kaine, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, told him that the United States could decisively suppress Iran’s Kharg Island in “four or five minutes.”
When asked about China’s support for Iran, Trump said the topic had been discussed with Xi Jinping, who assured him that China “will not provide military equipment to Iran.” China currently buys 90% of Iran’s oil and maintains a strategic partnership with Tehran, including close military ties.
Trump described Xi Jinping as a “passionate man” who “only cares about business.” He appreciated it, saying: “I like that – it’s a good thing. There’s no competition.”
He defended his positive remarks about his relationship with Xi Jinping, saying he is often criticized for praising certain leaders but that he respects Xi Jinping as the leader of China, a country of nearly 1.5 billion people.
He called the military honor guard ceremony that welcomed him “incredible,” adding, “If you go to Hollywood, you won’t find anything like this.”
Trump reiterated that his approach to relations with China has been successful, saying “we’re doing great with China” and pointing to his deep friendship with Xi Jinping. “He’s a great leader. He’s been here a long time, very strong, very strong. There’s no doubt about it. We have a great relationship,” he said.
Trump again defended military actions against Iran, saying they were much shorter than previous U.S. conflicts, such as those in Vietnam and Iraq.
He said that Iran’s navy has been eliminated and currently lacks air force and air defense capabilities. “They built it up a little bit. We’re going to tear it down one day,” he declared.
Trump, who brought in top CEOs from U.S. companies including Tesla CEO Elon Musk and Apple chief Tim Cook, said business leaders were doing very well.
He described the meeting with U.S. executives as a “good idea” but noted it was different from the original timetable.
Trump also mentioned that he encouraged Xi Jinping to “buy oil” from the United States, and Xi Jinping responded that he “liked the idea.”
“They’re going to go to Texas. We’re going to start sending Chinese ships to Texas, Louisiana and Alaska. I think that’s another thing that’s agreed upon. It’s a big deal,” he said.
He expressed a desire to see China open up its markets, saying: “If they open up their markets, it would be incredible for our company and I think it would be good for China as well.”
Trump mentioned that Xi Jinping agreed to order 200 Boeing aircraft during a “very good meeting” and emphasized, “They are big aircraft, a lot of them.”
In addition, he also asked China to use Visa for trade and said that China would buy a lot of American agricultural products, which he described as “great.”
This article was generated from automated news agency feeds without modifications to the text.
