If Iran gets this weapon, Israel will be destroyed, warns Trump
Former US President and Republican candidate Donald Trump has once again made a big statement about Iran. Trump said that he has no enmity with Iran, but he will not let it become a nuclear-rich country. In an interview given to Fox News on Sunday, Trump said that if Iran succeeds in making nuclear weapons, Israel will be destroyed.
Trump and other Republicans have criticized Biden for his soft stance on Iran, saying it has allowed Iran to evade US economic sanctions. Republicans also argue that this leniency enabled Tehran to arm Hamas, making it easier for Israel to attack on October 7.
Trump broke the nuclear deal
Trump pulled the US out of the 2015 JCPOA nuclear deal with Iran in 2018. At that time, Trump called the deal a 'bad deal' that failed to stop Iran's ballistic missile program and deadly activities in the Middle East. After breaking the deal, Trump imposed many new sanctions on Iran, such as oil exports and international banking.
Recalling his tenure, Trump claimed that four years ago Iran was economically weak and did not have the money to support terrorist organizations or attack Israel. He alleged that Iran now has $300 billion, which is much higher than the current figures. However, Iran has indeed increased its oil exports in the last few years.
How much oil did Iran sell during Trump's tenure?
During Donald Trump's tenure, Iran was selling about 3 lakh barrels of oil, which was too little for its import of essential commodities. After Joe Biden took office, Iran has continuously increased its oil exports. According to the report of Iran International, Iran is now exporting 1.5 million barrels of oil per day. Which it earns about 30 billion dollars annually, this figure is far from Trump's figure of 300 billion dollars.
China has been the biggest buyer of Iran's oil for years. Sanctions by both the Trump and Biden administrations have failed to stop China from buying oil from Iran. Last year, the Biden administration also decided to unfreeze Iran's $16 billion worth of frozen assets in Iraq and South Korea.
Extended hand of friendship to Iran
Trump also extended a hand of friendship towards Iran and said, "I don't want to be enemies with Iran, I would like to be with them, but they cannot have nuclear weapons." Trump had also said in June that he did not want enmity with Iran.
The Iranian government is reportedly keeping a close eye on the US presidential election, particularly Trump's potential victory. Iranian observers generally believe that a Harris administration would be more beneficial to Tehran because it would not enforce sanctions as strictly.