Iran agreed to forgo nuclear weapons, says Trump in 'historic' deal claim
Synopsis
Key Takeaways
US President Donald Trump claimed on 24 June that Iran has agreed never to acquire a nuclear weapon, describing the arrangement as a 'historic peace agreement' that he said ended hostilities in the Strait of Hormuz. Speaking at a Mack Trucks manufacturing facility in Macungie, Pennsylvania, Trump asserted that Tehran's military capabilities had been severely degraded as a result of recent US military action.
What Trump Claimed
Trump told workers and supporters gathered at the plant that his administration's central objective had been preventing Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon — and that Tehran had now formally agreed to that condition.
'Iran will never have a nuclear weapon, and they've agreed to that,' Trump said. He went further, asserting that the agreement left Iran 'with no navy, no air force, no anti-aircraft, no missile capability, no nuclear program.'
The President also cited energy flow data as evidence of stabilisation, claiming that 19 million barrels of oil passed through the Strait of Hormuz the previous day — which he described as 'the most oil in the history of the strait.'
Military Action and the 'Hammer' Reference
Trump praised what he characterised as a decisive US military strike on Iranian nuclear infrastructure, referencing the use of B-2 bombers. 'If you look at what we did to their nuclear capacity with those beautiful B-2 bombers, that was truly a hammer,' he said.
He argued that the military action had been necessary to prevent broader regional instability. 'We had to go to Iran and you can't let them blow up the Middle East and then us, if that's possible,' Trump said.
Claims on Iran's Economic and Defence Damage
Trump asserted that Iran's economy had been 'crushed' and its defence industrial base 'damaged so severely that it will take them many years to rebuild.' He also criticised 47 years of prior US and international administrations for failing to resolve the Iran nuclear question, though he did not specify which policies he was referencing.
Caveats and Context
Trump's remarks were made at a domestic political event and have not been independently verified by international monitors or confirmed by Iranian officials. The claims — including the scope of any agreement, the oil flow figures, and the extent of military damage — carry significant geopolitical weight and remain unverified at the time of publication. This comes amid sustained international attention on Iran's nuclear programme and Gulf security, with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and regional powers closely watching developments. Washington, Trump indicated, remains open to further engagement with Tehran.