Trump says Iran should be allowed to keep some ballistic missiles: ‘They have to have some because other people have some’

US President Donald Trump says he opposes calls to strip Iran of all of its ballistic missiles.

Speaking at a press conference, Trump says the US and Iran will discuss the latter’s missile program in the upcoming negotiations following this week’s MOU signing.

“They have to have some (missiles) because other people have some. You gotta have some,” Trump says.

“Somebody said, ‘You shouldn’t give [Iran] one,'” Trump says in a mocking tone.

“I have guys — I like some of these guys, but I don’t think they’re smart,” he says, appearing to refer to his hawkish advisers and supporters.

“‘They’re going to let Saudi Arabia have missiles, but [Iran] can’t have them?” Trump continues. “It doesn’t work that way.”

“And missiles aren’t the problem… They hurt a little location, but they don’t blow up the planet,” Trump says, downplaying yet another demand by Israel.

Despite his suggestion that the issues of Iran’s enriched uranium and missile program are not of tantamount importance to him, Trump says both of those issues, as well as Tehran’s support for its proxy groups will be discussed in the follow-up talks with Iran.

Apparently referencing some of the criticism he is facing from hawkish supporters over the Iran deal, Trump says, “There are some writers — some who I thought were friends of mine — but I don’t want them as friends anymore, because they’re either stupid or they’re bad people.”

Trump appears to be flipping the script he used when more isolationist supporters criticized him for launching the Iran war.

He made a habit of responding to those critics by claiming that they wanted Iran to obtain a nuclear weapon.