In joint statements with the French President, Emmanuel Macron, the President of the United States, Donald Trump, expressed optimism regarding the implementation of the agreement with Iran.
Trump stated that the Strait of Hormuz have already been partially opened and that they will be fully operational by Friday.
Specifically, speaking to reporters on the sidelines of the G7 summit in Evian-les-Bains, France, alongside French President Emmanuel Macron, he stated that the contents of the agreement will be made public shortly after the official signing ceremony scheduled for Friday.
Of course, he warned that if Tehran does not remain faithful to its commitments, then “we will pick up where we left off”.
Also, referring to the Strait of Hormuz, he stressed that the mines must be cleared, a process estimated to take up to 50 days.
At the same time, Donald Trump stated that the crossing will be toll-free, noting that there had been disagreement on this point during the negotiations.
“The crossing is free. We had a little disagreement about that. There are no tolls, so I don’t think we’ll need any special assistance,” he said.
At the same time, he argued that it wouldn’t be a bad idea for certain countries to maintain a naval presence in the region for security reasons.
“I don’t think it’s a bad idea to have one or two ships there, from a few countries. You would be an excellent country to do that,” he said, addressing Emmanuel Macron.
The U.S. President finally expressed his conviction that navigation in the Strait will be fully restored.
“You never know what might happen, but I believe they will remain open and that shipping will proceed freely,” he said.
When asked if he plans to attend the signing ceremony on Friday, Donald Trump appeared uncertain, noting that it would depend on the circumstances.
“It will depend. JD (Vance) will be there — he was originally supposed to handle it. I’ll probably be gone by then,” the U.S. President said.
He added, however, that his schedule might be extended, leaving open the possibility of his participation in the ceremony.
“We’ll be staying for quite a while longer, so I might get involved, or I might not,” he said.
The U.S. President reiterated that Iran will not acquire a nuclear weapon and that there will be a robust monitoring and verification mechanism to ensure the agreement’s implementation. He made it clear, however, that sanctions against Iran would not be lifted until Tehran fulfilled its obligations.
Referring to U.S. allies, he said that he does not believe that special assistance will be needed to implement the agreement, although he described their support as positive.
Finally, he stated that he wishes to see progress on the issue of Lebanon as well, noting that “we want to see if we can resolve the situation there.”
