Alain SAYADA 　Updated on 02-05-2025 1:01 p.m.

U.S. President Donald Trump on Tuesday took executive action to reinstate the so-called “maximum pressure” campaign on Iran aimed at preventing the Islamic Republic from obtaining nuclear weapons.

Speaking to reporters in the Oval Office as he signed the document – ​​the exact content and form of which have not yet been made public by the White House – Mr Trump said he took the step with some hesitation, adding that he hoped it would lead to a negotiated deal with Tehran.

“This is a measure that I have mixed feelings about. Everybody wants me to sign it. I will. It’s very tough on Iran,” Trump said. “We’ll see whether or not we can make a deal with Iran.”

“So I’m signing this document and I’m unhappy to do it, but I don’t really have a choice because we have to be strong and firm,” the president continued. “I mean we’re going to see that they can’t have a nuclear weapon with me. It’s very simple. Iran can’t have a nuclear weapon.”

Mr. Trump took the step shortly before meeting at the White House with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, one of whose goals during his visit to Washington was to urge the Trump administration to put more pressure on Iran.

Later, sitting side by side with Mr. Netanyahu in the Oval Office, Mr. Trump responded to a reporter’s question about Iran by saying the country had been left “in great trouble” at the end of his first term but was “very strong now” because of what he called the failed Middle East policy of the Joe Biden administration.

“We’re not going to allow them to have a nuclear weapon. It’s very simple. You know, I signed a very strong proclamation,” Mr. Trump reaffirmed.

Israel News Digital