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Donald Trump said Iran has to make a decision as the two countries continue to negotiate over Iran’s nuclear program
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Donald Trump has warned the U.S. could be forced to take a “violent course” with Iran if the friendly course of action does not work.
Speaking in Qatar during his three-nation tour of the Middle East, the president said Iran has to make a decision as the two countries continue to negotiate the potential lifting of American sanctions if Iran abandons its nuclear development program.
“The non-friendly is a violent course and I don’t want that… They have to get moving. They have to make that decision,” he said.
In Qatar Trump signed a deal for the country’s state carrier to buy $200 billion in Boeing jets, which he hailed as the largest deal in the U.S. manufacturer’s history.
The deal came after Trump praised the Syrian president as a “young, attractive guy” after the first meeting between the nations’ leaders in 25 years – a meeting which followed his surprise announcement that t the U.S. would lift all sanctions on Syria.
On the last leg of his tour, Trump will travel to the United Arab Emirates for talks on artificial intelligence.
Speaking ahead of a business roundtable in Doha, Donald Trump has praised the business leaders.
“We’re surrounded by some of the greatest business people in the world. We just had a tremendous order of Boeing,” he said, referring to the $200 billion deal signed on Wednesday.
In that deal Qatar Airways will by some 160 aircraft from the U.S. manufacturer, which Trump claimed was one of the company’s largest orders in its history.
Trump then joked about changing the engines in his plane to GE Aerospace ones.
“General Electric, I hear, makes the best large aeroplane engine in the world by not even a contest. Maybe I can change my engines one day of my plane,” he said.
Donald Trump said the U.S. has to give Syria “a chance”, following his surprise announcement he would be lifting long-standing sanctions on the country.
Speaking at a business summit in Qatar, Trump again praised intermin Syrian president Ahmad al-Sharaa.
“He’s a strong guy, and I thought he was good, and let’s see what happens,” the president said.
“But we’re going to give [them] a fighting chance by taking off the sanctions. We’ve actually been praised for that.”
The president will visit a Qatari air base which had been used as a major staging ground during the U.S. wars in Iraq and Afghanistan as he continues his tour of gulf nations on Thursday.
Trump plans to address troops at the al-Udeid Air Base, which was also used to support the recent U.S. air strikes against the Iran-backed Houthis in Yemen.
The Qatari base houses some 8,000 U.S. troops, down from about 10,000 at the height of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars.
Before visiting the base, Trump will attend a business roundtable which will include executives from Boeing, GE Aerospace and Al Rabban Capital.
Later on Thursday, the president will travel to the United Arab Emirates capital, Abu Dhabi, where he will visit the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque and be honored with a state visit with UAE President Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan at the Qasr Al Watan palace.
Donald Trump has warned the U.S. could be forced to take a “violent course” with Iran if the friendly course of action does not work.
Speaking in Qatar during his three-nation tour of the Middle East, the president said Iran has to make a decision as the two countries continue to negotiate the potential lifting of American sanctions if Iran abandons its nuclear development program.
“The non-friendly is a violent course and I don’t want that… They have to get moving. They have to make that decision,” he said.
The president also appealed to Qatar for help.
“I hope you can help me with the Iran situation,” he said.
“It’s a perilous situation, and we want to do the right thing. We want to do it something that’s going to save maybe millions of lives. Because things like that get started and they get out of control. I’ve seen it over and over again. They go to war and things get out of control, and we’re not going to let that happen.”
Donald Trump shook hands with Syria’s Islamist ruler on Wednesday – the first encounter between the two nations’ leaders in 25 years and a potential turning point for Damascus as it struggles to emerge from decades of international isolation.
The US president warmly greeted former al-Qaeda fighter Ahmed al-Sharaa in a historic meeting unthinkable only a few months ago.
Read more:
Donald Trump may be facing historically low approval levels at home, but in Syria at least, his popularity is surging.
Celebrations broke out in Damascus and other towns across Syria on Tuesday after Trump announced that he would remove decades-old U.S. sanctions on the country.
With a stroke of his pen, the president delivered a lifeline to a country decimated by years of war, opening the long-isolated economy to the global market.
Read more:
Our live coverage has ended. Here’s a full breakdown:
During the remarks at the state dinner, Trump made some comments regarding Iran.
“The non-friendly is a violent course and I don’t want that… They have to get moving. They have to make that decision. It’s their decision,” said the president.
Trump has previously said he wants a deal with Iran to stop it from getting a nuclear weapon.
He appealed to Qatar for help.
“I hope you can help me with the Iran situation,” he said. “It’s a perilous situation, and we want to do the right thing. We want to do … something that’s going to save maybe millions of lives. Because things like that get started, and they get out of control. I’ve seen it over and over again. They go to war, and things get out of control, and we’re not going to let that happen.”
The Emir spoke about making massive investments in the U.S., he mentioned Qatar’s trade deficit, and said the country likes “drill baby drill,” a phrase Trump has used as a campaign slogan.
“Our newly announced projects and investments will amount to $1.2 trillion, and these days, I’m so grateful for the trade deficit we have with you, because the surplus swings in your favor. That’s also why Scott Bessent is chill,” he said.
“I prayed for your recovery and your safety,” the Emir said regarding the assassination attempt against Trump last summer.
He also requested that Trump use American “leverage” to end the fighting in Gaza.
He commended Trump for picking staff who are “loyal to your country and loyal to your cause.”
“For all of us in the room, this stop was no mystery,” he said. “Yes, the United States is a superpower, boasting the largest economy and military force in history. Meanwhile, Qatar is one of the smallest countries with one of the smallest populations, and as the Americans in the room know, D.C. is almost 7000 miles away from here, but my friends, small nations have their own superpowers, resilience, nimbleness — and we are a powerful agent for peace precisely because of our size.”
“This is a home. This is a serious home,” Trump said of the palace.
“It’s just a perfect evening,” he added.
“Your country now stands as a hub [of] global commerce, acts as a key diplomatic force on the world stage, and has even hosted the World Cup. People said, Oh, the World Cup,” Trump said.
“He’s coming to the United States. Great job you do Gianni,” the president said of the FIFA president.
With only a few hours to go until the start of what was slated as the first direct peace talks between Russia and Ukraine in years – talks that Vladimir Putin himself called – it still wasn’t clear if the Russian president would actually show up.
For weeks he has dismissed Ukraine’s proposal for a 30-day unconditional ceasefire – backed by the US and Europe – to allow both sides to start negotiations on how to end Europe’s biggest war since World War Two.
Instead, the Russian leader challenged Volodymyr Zelensky to direct talks in Istanbul “without any preconditions” on Thursday. If they go ahead, it would be the first meeting between the leaders since December 2019.
After brief initial reticence – and a few goading social media posts by Donald Trump – the Ukrainian leader called Moscow’s bluff by confirming that he will indeed attend in person.
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Trump live updates: Trump warns of ‘violent course’ for Iran before heading to UAE for AI talks – The Independent
