US President Donald Trump on Thursday, 5 June declared that any agreement reached with Iran must permanently bar Tehran from acquiring a nuclear weapon, while signalling that Washington was prepared to prevail 'one way or the other' — diplomatically or militarily. The remarks, made to reporters at the White House, underscored the administration's position as nuclear negotiations with Iran continue.

Core Demand: No Nuclear Weapon, Ever

Trump was unequivocal on the central condition of any prospective deal. 'The main parts of the deal is they can't have a nuclear weapon,' he told reporters. 'Our deal, if we make that deal — and it's going well, but who knows — if we make that deal, it's the exact opposite. They will not have — they will never have a nuclear weapon.'

He added that the position enjoyed near-universal support: 'You cannot let Iran have a nuclear weapon. And everybody agrees to that, no matter — almost everybody.'

Contrast With the Obama-Era Nuclear Accord

Trump sharply criticised the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), the nuclear accord negotiated under former President Barack Obama, which Trump unilaterally withdrew from during his first term. 'Obama picked the wrong country,' he said. 'The Obama deal, I terminated that, or they would have had a nuclear — that was a road to a nuclear weapon.'

This framing positions the current negotiations as a structural departure from the JCPOA's architecture, which critics had long argued left Iran with a residual enrichment capability.

Military Strikes and Surveillance

Trump also defended prior US military strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities, asserting they had been devastatingly effective. 'We attacked their nuclear sites, and they were obliterated,' he said, adding that the nuclear material is now 'entombed' and under close surveillance. He noted that follow-up Tomahawk missile strikes had reinforced the damage.

When asked whether the US would respond militarily if American troops were killed by Iran, Trump replied: 'If they kill US troops, I think I would do that very quickly.'

Diplomacy Still on the Table

Despite the hawkish tone, Trump indicated that diplomatic engagement with Iran's new leadership remained a possibility. Asked about a potential meeting with Iran's new Supreme Leader, he said: 'I don't want to meet, but if I did meet, I'd be honoured to meet him. I'd like to see if we make a deal.'

On the Strait of Hormuz — a critical global energy chokepoint through which a significant share of world oil shipments pass — Trump said the US had sought European support for freedom of navigation but stressed that Washington could act independently. 'We don't need their help,' he said. 'We're the most powerful military in the world.'

What Comes Next

Diplomatic efforts to reach a long-term arrangement on Iran's nuclear programme are reportedly continuing. The fate of the Strait of Hormuz and regional security arrangements are expected to feature prominently in any final framework. Whether talks produce a binding agreement or give way to further military pressure remains, by Trump's own assessment, an open question.