President Donald Trump reportedly believes the G7 didn't go far enough against Iran's nuclear program in its resolution, Breitbart reported. The nations participating in the summit were calling for monitoring rather than complete abolition of the program.
Iran has been enriching uranium ostensibly for use in nuclear power. However, the Trump administration believes that the amounts have surpassed what would be needed for that purpose and may be an attempt at a nuclear weapons program.
Recent nonproliferation talks between the U.S. and Iran stalled, which led Israel to launch a preemptive attack on the country Friday. Nations participating in the G7 summit wanted a strongly worded resolution for both sides of that conflict.
However, Trump felt it didn't go far enough to eliminate the prospect of a nuclear-armed Iran and refused to agree to put his name behind it, which stunned his fellow Republicans. "I can confirm that he did not sign on to the statement," a senior U.S. official shared.
Israel was already locked in a battle after retaliating against the Iranian-backed terrorist organization Hamas over its attack on Israel on Oct. 7, 2023. Now the nation has moved to directly strikingIran in a new war over the prospect of nuclear weapons.
So far, Trump has yet to get the U.S. completely engrossed in Israel's war with Iran, as Reuters reported that the president is not interested in "taking out" Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. However, Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz is making no promises.
"I warn the Iranian dictator against continuing to commit war crimes and fire missiles at Israeli citizens," Katz said to his top military officials. Katz believes Khamenei could go the way of Iraqi President Saddam Hussein, who was executed following the U.S. invasion.
Trump made it clear that the U.S. is tracking Khamenei and knows his whereabouts, though "we are not going to take him out (kill!), at least not for now," the president assured the world on social media. "Our patience is wearing thin," Trump added as a caveat.
Meanwhile, Iran and Israel continue to lob missiles at one another as Trump decided to leave the G7 summit in Kananaskis, Alberta, Canada, early. Trump said it had nothing to do with the conflict, but the president was trying to strike a deal with Iran when the war broke out.
In the midst of this turmoil, Vice President J.D. Vance is attempting to shore up Trump's approval of possible invovlement. In a lengthy post to X, formerly Twitter, Vance noted Trump's actions "from the inside" and explained his stance on the conflict.
"First, POTUS has been amazingly consistent, over 10 years, that Iran cannot have a nuclear weapon," Vance explained. He said Trump drew the line at Iran's enriching uranium and warned "this would happen one of two ways--the easy way or the 'other' way," Vance wrote.
The vice president explained that the amount they've enriched is "far above the level necessary for any civilian purpose" of nuclear power. "They've been found in violation of their non-proliferation obligations by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), which is hardly a rightwing organization," Vance said.
The vice president said that Trump has given them leeway but may "decide he needs to take further action to end Iranian enrichment," Vance said. "That decision ultimately belongs to the president. And of course, people are right to be worried about foreign entanglement after the last 25 years of idiotic foreign policy," Vance said, assuring the public that Trump will work in the best interests of the U.S.
The situation in the Middle East is getting more dangerous by the day. A nuclear Iran is a frightening prospect, but getting the U.S. involved in yet another costly foreign conflict is a serious matter. It should be soberly weighed against the cost to American lives and treasure.
