Trump rejects calls to strip Iran of missiles, questions regional disparity

US President Donald Trump stated that Iran should be permitted to retain a limited missile capability, arguing that a complete ban is unrealistic given that other regional powers possess similar weapons.

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There are people around me who say they shouldn’t even have one missile. I asked: what exactly do you suggest? That Saudi Arabia can have missiles and Iran cannot? It just doesn’t work that way.

Speaking after the G7 summit in France, Trump indicated that the United States would collaborate with Persian Gulf countries on broader non-nuclear concerns involving Iran. These issues include ballistic missiles and Tehran's backing of regional armed groups. "We'll be working on a parallel effort with the Gulf nations to address non-nuclear issues, such as the conventional ballistic missiles," Trump said.

Trump dismissed the arguments of some advisors who advocated for a complete ban on Iranian missiles. He questioned the justification for such a stance, stating, "There are people around me who say they shouldn’t even have one missile. I asked: what exactly do you suggest? That Saudi Arabia can have missiles and Iran cannot? It just doesn’t work that way."

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We’ll be working on a parallel effort with the Gulf nations to address non-nuclear issues, such as the conventional ballistic missiles.

The US president also expressed concern over Iran's support for regional groups, vowing to confront what he termed Tehran's "terrorist proxies." "We'll talk also about the terrorist proxies that they have. We don’t want that to happen," he added.

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We’ll talk also about the terrorist proxies that they have. We don’t want that to happen.

Furthermore, Trump issued a warning that the United States might resume military strikes against Iran if Tehran fails to adhere to unwritten understandings. "If they don’t honor that, we’ll probably go back to bombing them," Trump stated, adding, "It’s amazing what bombs can do."

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If they don’t honor that, we’ll probably go back to bombing them. It’s amazing what bombs can do.