He reiterated that he was upset about Israel\u2019s strike on Hezbollah in Beirut on Sunday, shortly before the interim peace deal between Iran and the US was announced.<\/p>\n
\u201cI didn\u2019t like where, two hours before we\u2019re signing the agreement, that there was an attack in Lebanon, in Beirut,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Israel launched the strike after Hezbollah fired several rockets into Israel.<\/p>\n
He referred to Ahmed al-Sharaa, a former Islamist rebel leader and now the president of Syria, saying that he would more effectively lead the fight against Hezbollah.<\/p>\n
\u201cI suggested to Israel to let Syria take care of Hezbollah,\u201d Trump said. \u201cBecause to be honest with you, I think they\u2019d do a better job of doing it.\u201d<\/p>\n
He said of Sharaa: \u201cHe\u2019s very capable. And he\u2019s been very good for me. He\u2019s protected everything that I\u2019ve asked for\u2026 And if Israel can\u2019t do the job without killing everyone else, he\u2019ll do the job. Syria will do the job.\u201d<\/p>\n
Hezbollah had assisted former Syrian dictator Bashar Assad in keeping control during the more-than decade-long Syrian civil war. Sharaa was only eventually able to rout Assad\u2019s forces after Israel severely weakened Hezbollah and killed much of its leadership in late 2024.<\/p>\n
\t Israeli troops are currently stationed deep within southern Lebanon, and the Israeli military has struck targets throughout the country, ever since the Iran-backed Hezbollah terror group<\/a> attacked Israel on March 2 in support of Tehran.<\/p>\n Later Tuesday, Hezbollah\u2019s media relations office told Reuters that the Shiite organization had received assurances from its backer Iran that it would demand a withdrawal of Israeli troops from Lebanon in its next phase of talks with the United States.<\/p>\n An IDF withdrawal will be the result of, and not a precondition for, continuing talks between Tehran and Washington, following the signing of a memorandum of understanding between the two countries on Friday, Hezbollah said.<\/p>\n The group said there would be \u201cno nuclear deal between Iran and the United States unless the Israelis withdraw\u201d from Lebanon.<\/p>\n Iran\u2019s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi has publicly warned that any Israeli attack on Lebanon or continued presence in Lebanese territory would constitute a violation of the agreement with the United States.<\/p>\n Location announced for formal signing ceremony<\/p>\n On Sunday, US President Donald Trump announced that Washington and Tehran had signed a memorandum of understanding to extend their ongoing ceasefire by 60 days and to open the Strait of Hormuz, while holding negotiations on a long-term resolution to the conflict over Iran\u2019s nuclear program.<\/p>\n The MOU, already signed digitally, is set to be signed formally in Switzerland on Friday. That same day, Iran and the US will start a new round of negotiations to reach a final agreement.<\/p>\n According to Axios, Trump aides Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner will attend the meetings, alongside US Vice President JD Vance, as will Araghchi and Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammed Bagher Ghalibaf.<\/p>\n \t The signing ceremony is expected to be held at the Burgenstock mountaintop resort in central Switzerland, according to a statement issued by the Swiss government on Tuesday. The site, located near Lucerne in central Switzerland, is difficult to access and therefore easily secured.<\/p>\n The Swiss foreign ministry said in a statement that it had been in close contact with the US, Iran, Pakistan, and Qatar, regarding the possible signing of a memorandum of understanding between Washington and Tehran.<\/p>\n \u201cAt this stage, the signing is scheduled for Friday, June 19, at Burgenstock in the canton of Nidwalden. The location was proposed by the Pakistani and Qatari mediators, as well as by the US and Iran,\u201d the ministry said.<\/p>\n Vance said Monday that he believes Israel will become a party to the emerging US-Iran deal at some point in the future, adding that the MOU is \u201cabout a page and a half, so it is a very general document,\u201d and that many details have been left for the next phase of negotiations.<\/p>\n An administration official, briefing reporters on Monday, said that the text would likely be released in the next 24 to 48 hours, though Trump himself said Monday that it would only be released after the Friday ceremony.<\/p>\n \u2018Israel would not exist right now\u2019<\/p>\n Also in his comments at the G7, Trump said Israel owes its continued existence to the United States and him personally.<\/p>\n \u201cIf it weren\u2019t for the United States of America \u2014 with me, because Obama was the opposite \u2014 Israel would not exist right now. Israel would have been blown off the face of the earth, 100 percent. And every smart person in Israel knows that,\u201d the US president said.<\/p>\n \u201cWithout us, without the United States, there would be no Israel. Without me, there\u2019d be no Israel,\u201d he stressed, \u201cbecause no other president was willing to do what I did [in tackling Iran].\u201d He said Iran was \u201ctwo weeks away from having a nuclear weapon\u201d and would have used it against Israel if the US had not intervened.<\/p>\n Trump also praised his relationship with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, following a series of negative comments he made about the premier in recent days, including saying that the premier was \u201ccrazy\u201d<\/a> and had \u201cno fucking judgement.\u201d<\/a><\/p>\n \t Asked whether he is frustrated with Netanyahu after the two clashed over Israel\u2019s bombing of Hezbollah targets in Beirut on Sunday, Trump said: \u201cWe have a very good relationship\u2026 an unbelievable relationship.\u201d<\/p>\n Trump also warned that \u201call hell will rain down\u201d on Iran if it attempts to develop, purchase, or otherwise acquire a nuclear weapon.<\/p>\n \u201cThey\u2019re not going to acquire a nuclear weapon. If they do, all hell will rain down on them,\u201d Trump said.<\/p>\n He added that the preliminary deal \u201csays it loud and clear. They\u2019re not going to develop it. They\u2019re not going to buy it. They\u2019re not going to do anything with it. And if they do, they suffer unbelievable consequences.\u201d<\/p>\n He said that he only agreed to sign the document after Tehran agreed to adjust the wording so that it prevented them not only from developing a nuclear weapon, but also from purchasing one or acquiring it through some other means.<\/p>\n Trump did not specify what the consequences for doing so would be, however, saying: \u201cI won\u2019t even tell you the consequences. But the consequences are the ultimate consequences. And with that being said, I hope we have a very good relationship.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI think it\u2019s going to go pretty quickly,\u201d Trump told reporters about the next phase of negotiations with Iran,\u00a0stipulated with a 60-day deadline.<\/p>\n \u201cIran wants to get it done. They have to get back to business, and the relationship is now normalized, so I think it\u2019s going to go pretty quickly,\u201d Trump told reporters during his meeting with Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the president of the United Arab Emirates. \u201cCould go faster, could take longer too, but it could go fast.\u201d<\/p>\n However, European allies have voiced concern that an inexperienced US negotiating team could struggle to secure a robust agreement, potentially leading to a prolonged standoff.<\/p>\n Diplomats and analysts note that Iranian negotiators are highly skilled in nuclear diplomacy, often exploiting weaknesses in their counterparts and buying time to advance their agenda, making the prospect of a comprehensive agreement within 60 days challenging.<\/p>\n In 2015, former US president Barack Obama secured a nuclear deal with Iran in exchange for sanctions relief, a process that took two years to finalize. Trump withdrew the United States from that accord during his first term.<\/p>\n \u201cThis deal is a wall to a nuclear weapon. [Obama\u2019s] deal was a road to a nuclear weapon. My deal, they can\u2019t have a nuclear, they get blown up,\u201d Trump said.<\/p>\n Netanyahu made a similar argument in a press conference on Monday evening<\/a>, saying that while Obama\u2019s deal was not accompanied by a credible military threat if Iran does not comply, the recent war provides such a threat in the case of the current deal.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/AFP__20251110__83ML29E__v2__HighRes__TopshotUsSyriaDiplomacySharaa-640x400.jpg\")
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\n\t\tUS President Donald Trump (L) shakes hands with Syria\u2019s President Ahmed al-Sharaa at the White House in Washington, DC, on November 10, 2025. (Handout of the official Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA) \/ AFP)<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/AFP__20240615__34WW2N6__v1__HighRes__SwitzerlandUkraineRussiaConflictDiplomacyPeace-640x400.jpg\")
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\n\t\tA military helicopter hovers as leaders arrive to take part in the \u2018Summit on Peace\u2019 in Ukraine at the luxury Burgenstock resort, near Lucerne in central Switzerland, on June 15, 2024. (Ludovic MARIN \/ AFP \/ File)<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/AP26167372592193-640x400.jpg\")
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\n\t\tUS President Donald Trump meets with Qatar\u2019s Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani\u00a0during a bilateral meeting on the sidelines of the G7 summit, June 16, 2026, in Evian-les-Bains, France. (AP\/Julia Demaree Nikhinson)<\/p>\n
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