Full story
Iran deal and a walkout
President Donald Trump told NBC’s Kristen Welker during an interview about his Iran war strategy that Iran’s Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei is “pretty badly injured,” and Trump said, “We’re very close to having a deal (with Iran).”
Trump also said, “if we don’t have a deal, we’ll do it one way or the other. Either way, we win,” linking the Iran deal prospects to his pressure strategy.
The interview, filmed on a farm in Wisconsin where Trump was addressing farmers, was repeatedly disrupted by torrential rain and audio issues, with Trump asking, “Is that wind or what?”
Trump then stormed out after being confronted over his unfounded claims of election fraud, telling Welker, “Let’s call it quits because I’ve had enough.”
Weather, questions, and claims
The Straits Times described the NBC interview as “rain-plagued,” noting that it aired on June 7 and was filmed on June 5, with a tractor and hay bales as a backdrop.
In the same interview, Welker asked her technical crew if they should stop as she heard “That sound of thunder, lightning, rain,” and Trump replied, “No. People will understand – we’re on a farm.”
Trump also told Welker, “I don’t like these endless wars,” and said, “This is not an endless war. We’ve been doing this for three months.”
When Welker pressed him on claims, Trump escalated to attacking the press, saying, “You are either crooked or you’re stupid,” before leaving the camera’s view.
Iran pressure shifts
Beyond the interview, a report carried by اليـوم السابع said the Associated Press reported the Trump administration is paving the way to shift its war against Iran toward an economic effort aimed at subduing Tehran rather than relying on bombs alone.
The same article quoted Treasury Secretary Scott Biesant saying the United States intends to escalate economic pressure on Iran and that the new steps would be “the financial equivalent of the bombing campaign.”
The report also described secondary sanctions as a key escalation, saying the administration warned that “if you buy Iranian oil, and if Iranian funds are held in your banks, we are now prepared to impose secondary sanctions.”
It added that the United States believes Iran has preserved significant capabilities through deception and dispersal, and that NBC reported Iran is exploiting the war’s ceasefire to extract ballistic missiles and ammunition hidden underground or buried beneath rubble.
