Trump Discusses Iran with Congress Members After Meeting with Putin

The President of the United States, after returning from a meeting with his Russian counterpart, told lawmakers that he discussed Iran, its nuclear program, and Tehran's 'destabilizing activities' with Vladimir Putin. Mr. Trump, on July 26, reiterated that the nuclear agreement made by the previous U.S. administration with Russia, China, France, Britain, Germany, and Iran was 'one of the worst deals anyone could imagine.' He emphasized that his administration's withdrawal from the nuclear agreement had 'deep consequences' for Tehran and had 'effectively weakened' it. The U.S. President stated that all of this might lead Iran to 'contact the U.S. for negotiations and to reach a new agreement, or perhaps they won't.' Trump remarked that Iran is not the country it was five months ago; they are facing many problems, and if they reach an agreement with us, they could solve these problems much more easily. The U.S. President also mentioned that he and Putin discussed Israel and its security: 'President Putin is in close interaction and negotiations with us and Benjamin Netanyahu (the Prime Minister of Israel) to find a solution regarding Syria, specifically concerning the security and long-term safety of Israel.' Before the meeting between the U.S. and Russian Presidents, it was expected that one of the topics they would discuss would be Iran. During a press conference after the meeting with Putin in Finland, the U.S. President emphasized the 'importance of pressure on Iran,' stating that the U.S. will not allow Iran to take advantage of the success in the war against ISIS in Syria. On the other hand, Vladimir Putin reiterated Moscow's previous position on the nuclear agreement, stating that the JCPOA 'effectively guarantees the peaceful nature of Iran's nuclear program and strengthens the non-proliferation treaty.' After the press conference, in part of an interview with Fox News, Trump referred to Iran, stating that Vladimir Putin 'probably wants to keep the JCPOA because it is good for Russia... and for many countries that do business with Iran, but it is not good for this country (the U.S.) and ultimately for the whole world.' He reiterated, as he did during a meeting with Congress members on Tuesday, that his administration's withdrawal from the nuclear agreement has led to the current economic situation, widespread protests, and demonstrations in Iran. However, the Islamic Republic has so far shown no willingness to engage in new negotiations with the United States. Iran has emphasized that it did not send a message through Putin to Trump. The Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman also stated on July 25 that 'Trump's behavior towards Iran is hostile, and this hostile behavior is clearly seen in various dimensions.' Bahram Qasemi, in response to Trump's remarks that Iranian officials might contact him for new negotiations, said, 'Of course, one day he might call Tehran and request negotiations. This is more likely, and there may have been signs in the past.' Mr. Qasemi did not elaborate on these 'signs.' Following Trump's exit from the JCPOA, the U.S. Treasury Department announced in mid-May that a wide range of sanctions against Iran, including oil sanctions and sanctions against the Central Bank, would be imposed over a period of 90 to 180 days.