President Donald Trump on Wednesday described Iran as “a very evil place” and said he believes the situation will look very different in the coming years, citing US efforts to cripple Tehran’s nuclear program to prevent wars across the Middle East.
“Iran was the perpetrator of hate, a very evil place. And I think it’s going to be a lot different in the coming years,” Trump said in a press conference, pointing to what he called Iran’s role in spreading violence and instability across the region.
Trump warns Iran not to restart nuclear program
“We have stopped wars in the Middle East by stopping Iran from having a nuclear weapon,” Trump said. “They can say they’re going to start all over again. But that’s a very dangerous thing for them to do, because we’ll be back as soon as they start. We’ll be back. And I think they understand that.”
“They’re just words,” Trump said of Iran’s recent threats. “But no, we’ve stopped a lot of wars in the Middle East. If you think about what we did with Iran... I think it’s going to be a lot different in the coming years.”
Trump says Iran’s nuclear sites were obliterated
Trump's comments come weeks after a 12-day war in June between Iran and Israel, during which the United States carried out coordinated strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities at Isfahan, Natanz and Fordow. The attacks destroyed critical infrastructure and killed several senior military and scientific figures, as well as hundreds of civilians. Iran responded with missile strikes that killed at least 27 Israeli civilians.
IAEA inspectors left the country after the conflict, citing safety concerns. The International Atomic Energy Agency has faced criticism from Tehran for not condemning the airstrikes, which Iranian officials called illegal under international law.
“If the agency wants to visit our sites, they’ve been bombed,” Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said Wednesday in an interview with state television. “Tell us—how do you expect to inspect a bombed nuclear facility?”
Iran rejects inspections, limits cooperation with UN
Araghchi said Iran had invited a senior IAEA official to Tehran for discussions but stressed that no inspections would take place. “He’s not coming for inspections or evaluations—we have not allowed and will not allow that,” he said.
He also confirmed that Iran’s parliament passed a law requiring all cooperation with the UN nuclear watchdog to be cleared by the Supreme National Security Council, further tightening oversight of foreign access.
France, Germany and the United Kingdom have urged Iran to resume full cooperation with the IAEA. While some Iranian officials have signaled openness to talks, no dates have been announced.
