WASHINGTON: US President Donald Trump \u200csaid on Tuesday that Americans\u2019 financial struggles are not a factor in his decision-making as he seeks to negotiate an end to the Iran war, saying that preventing Tehran \u200bfrom acquiring a nuclear weapon is his top priority.<\/p>\n
Asked by a reporter to what extent Americans\u2019 financial situations were motivating him to strike a deal, Trump said: \u201cNot even a little bit.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThe only thing that matters, when I\u2019m talking about Iran, they can\u2019t have a nuclear weapon,\u201d Trump said before departing the White House for a trip to China. \u201cI don\u2019t think about Americans\u2019 financial situation. I don\u2019t think about anybody. I think about \u200cone thing: We \u200ccannot let Iran have a nuclear weapon. That\u2019s \u200ball. \u200cThat\u2019s \u2060the \u200bonly thing \u2060that motivates me.\u201d<\/p>\n
Trump\u2019s remarks are likely to draw scrutiny from critics who argue the administration should balance geopolitical objectives with the economic impact on Americans, particularly as cost-of-living concerns remain a top issue for voters ahead of the November midterm elections.<\/p>\n
Asked to elaborate on the president\u2019s comments, White House Communications Director Steven Cheung said that Trump\u2019s \u201cultimate responsibility is the safety and security \u2060of Americans. Iran cannot have a nuclear weapon, and if \u200caction wasn\u2019t taken, they\u2019d have one, which \u200cthreatens all Americans.\u201d<\/p>\n
Trump is under growing pressure \u200bfrom fellow Republicans who fear economic \u200cpain caused by the war could spark a backlash against the party \u200cand cost it control of the House of Representatives and possibly the Senate in November.<\/p>\n
Rising energy costs linked to the Iran conflict have pushed up gasoline prices and contributed to inflation.<\/p>\n
US consumer inflation in April posted its largest gain \u200cin three years, according to data released on Tuesday.<\/p>\n
Trump framed his approach as a matter of national and \u2060global security, suggesting \u2060economic concerns were secondary to preventing nuclear proliferation.<\/p>\n
US intelligence assessments, however, indicate that the time Iran would need to build a nuclear weapon has not changed since last summer, when analysts estimated that a US-Israeli attack had increased the timeline to nine months to a year, according to three sources familiar with the matter. The assessments of Tehran\u2019s nuclear program remain broadly unchanged even after two months of a war.<\/p>\n
Trump\u2019s allies have echoed his argument that the risks posed by a nuclear-armed Iran outweigh short-term economic hardships.<\/p>\n
Iran denies seeking nuclear weapons and says its program is for peaceful \u200bpurposes, though Western powers suspect \u200bit aims to develop the capability to build a bomb. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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