The Hague [Netherlands], June 26 : US President Donald Trump on Wednesday claimed that American and Iranian officials would hold talks next week, raising hopes of longer-term peace following a fragile ceasefire, even as Tehran insisted it would not abandon its nuclear ambitions, The Times of Israel reported.
Trump, speaking at the NATO Heads of State and Government summit in The Hague, said he wasn't particularly interested in restarting negotiations with Iran, asserting that US strikes had "destroyed" Iran's nuclear program. "We may sign an agreement, I don't know. To me, I don't think it's that necessary," Trump said. "The way I look at it, they fought, the war is done."
However, Iran has not acknowledged any upcoming talks. An Iranian official questioned the credibility of the US after its strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities over the weekend. The Iranian parliament also moved to fast-track legislation that would halt cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency, The Times of Israel noted.
Earlier, Trump described the ceasefire as "going very well," asserting that Iran would neither possess a nuclear bomb nor continue enrichment. "We destroyed the nuclear," he claimed. "It's blown up, to Kingdom Come... We're gonna meet with them actually." Trump also said he had asked US Secretary of State Marco Rubio to draft an agreement for Iran to sign.
The Times of Israel reported that Israel launched airstrikes on June 13 targeting top Iranian military leaders, nuclear scientists, enrichment facilities and missile programs.
On June 22, US strikes followed, hitting key Iranian nuclear sites including Natanz, Fordo and Isfahan.
While Trump said the US and Iran would meet, it remains unclear whether talks would resume around the nuclear issue or a broader peace deal, as hinted earlier by White House envoy Steve Witkoff.
Trump maintained that the nuclear sites were "obliterated" and suggested that Iran was unable to move enriched uranium before the strikes. "You can't get into the tunnels. The whole thing is collapsed and a disaster," he said.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth echoed Trump's remarks, saying the Fordo facility was "buried under a mountain, devastated and obliterated."
Meanwhile, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu denied reports that Israel pushed the US into the offensive. Responding to a Washington Post report, Netanyahu's office said on X, "The Washington Post story suggesting that Israel pushed President Trump into his bold decision to bomb Iranian nuclear sites is nonsense."
He added that Trump "acted in the best interest of the USA based on the same intel we had," and thanked him for his "decisive leadership," The Times of Israel reported.
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