US President Donald Trump described Iranians as “crazy” and “crazy people” during an interview with NBC News on Sunday, while defending his hardline approach toward Tehran and insisting that Washington must prevent Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons.Speaking in an interview with NBC News’ meet the PressTrump said the United States is working to prevent a global catastrophe.Trump said, “I had to stop a country, a very powerful, very dangerous country, from having a nuclear weapon because they will use it. They will blow up the world. They will blow up the Middle East. They will blow up Israel. They came here. They will blow up Europe.”He added, “They’re crazy, OK? They’re crazy people. I deal with them.” And very high profile people. A little crazy.”Despite the comments, Trump also said he personally “likes” the Iranians and framed U.S. policy as a protective measure.He said, “And get along with them. I like them. But you don’t want them to have nuclear weapons.” “And I’m serving the world, but I’m serving my country, you know? It’s America first. I’m serving my country.”
American pressure iran nuclear deal
The comments came as Trump highlighted progress toward a possible deal with Tehran over its nuclear program.Trump said that if a deal is reached the United States could work with Iran to recover and destroy highly enriched uranium, or otherwise take unilateral action to destroy Iran’s nuclear capabilities.Trump said in the interview, “If we make an agreement that we’re friendly now, we’ll all go in together. This will be our equipment. We’ll take it out and destroy it.”He said the US would respond “very strongly” through military action if talks fail.Trump also said that Iran has already conceded important ground in the talks.“They have accepted the fact that they will not have nuclear weapons,” he said. He said both sides were “very close” to an agreement.
Trump compares diplomacy to military pressure
Trump described a dual-track approach combining negotiations and military deterrence, saying US troops could remain in the area until the problem was resolved.He also reiterated his claim that Iran’s nuclear and military capabilities have become significantly weakened.“We have completely destroyed their forces,” he said, acknowledging that Iran still has missiles and drones.Trump said US surveillance capabilities, including “cameras in space”, were being used to monitor developments in Iran’s nuclear infrastructure.The interview comes amid ongoing conflict-related tensions in the region, including continuing US-Iran hostilities and broader instability in West Asia following attacks and counter-attacks between Iran, Israel and US forces.Trump has consistently argued that Iran should never be allowed to obtain nuclear weapons, linking the issue to regional security concerns involving Israel, Europe, and the United States.Despite the sharp rhetoric, Trump said he still saw a diplomatic path forward and suggested an agreement could bring broader stability and economic benefits.“We cannot let Iran have nuclear weapons. We cannot do that. And we will not do that,” he said.