Trump: If Iran doesn’t live up to agreement, I will do what I have to do

Jacob Magid is The Times of Israel's US bureau chief

US President Donald Trump is pictured in the Oval Office of the White House during an executive order signing about quantum computing, June 22, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)
US President Donald Trump is pictured in the Oval Office of the White House during an executive order signing about quantum computing, June 22, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)

While acknowledging his previous comments that a resumption of the Iran war would have major economic repercussions, US President Donald Trump indicates that this would not deter him from striking Iran again, since ensuring that the regime doesn’t obtain a nuclear weapon is his top priority.

“Nuclear weapon supersedes depression,” Trump tells reporters in the Oval Office.

“If Iran doesn’t live up to their agreement, or if they’re not behaving, I will do what I have to do,” Trump continues. “As long as Iran respects us, we are not going to have any trouble.”

Asked about Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s assertion that he will keep the IDF in southern Lebanon — in what would appear to contradict the MOU’s bar on military operations in the country — Trump says he will have to look into the matter before insisting that he knows how to deal with Netanyahu effectively.

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