Trump: "Giving Iran time to come to its senses... 2 weeks is the maximum"

"Difficult to demand Israel to stop airstrikes"

"NATO members must spend 5% of GDP on defense... the United States is an exception"

President Donald Trump of the United States emphasized on the 20th (local time) that the 'two-week' deadline set to decide whether or not the US will join Israel’s attack on Iran is "the maximum." He urged Iran to make a decision to abandon its nuclear development.

After moving from Washington, D.C. to Bedminster, New Jersey, President Trump met with reporters and, when asked about the possibility of attacking Iran two weeks from now, replied, "We are giving them (Iran) time," adding, "I would say two weeks is the maximum." Trump also stated that this two-week period is "to see if (the Iranians) come to their senses."

The previous day, through White House spokesperson Caroline Leavitt, President Trump explained, "Whether it happens in the near future or not, based on the fact that there is substantial potential for negotiations with Iran, I will decide within the next two weeks whether or not to proceed (with attacking)."

On whether he would support a 'ceasefire' between Israel and Iran, Trump left the possibility open, saying, "That may depend on the situation." He added that while the US has been in talks with Iran, since Iran does not want dialogue with Europe, the negotiations between European countries and Iran held in Geneva on the 20th are not helpful.

Regarding Iran's demand that the United States persuade Israel to stop airstrikes against Iran, Trump commented, "I think it (telling Israel to stop airstrikes) is very difficult," adding, "It is harder to tell someone who is winning (to stop) than it is to tell someone who is losing." Regarding the military clashes between Israel and Iran that have lasted over a week, Trump evaluated, "Israel is doing well, and Iran is doing less well."

Trump also expressed the view that the United States’ help is essential for Israel to achieve its goal of fully destroying Iran’s nuclear facilities. Regarding Israel’s claim that it can destroy Iran’s underground nuclear facilities alone, Trump said, "They (Israel) have extremely limited capabilities and could only partially destroy them; they do not have the capacity to go very deep," adding, "Let's see what happens. (A strike on Iran’s nuclear facilities) may not even be necessary."

Additionally, Trump emphasized that when he was a private citizen, he opposed the US’s entry into the Iraq War, and that at the time, contrary to claims by the Bush Administration, Iraq possessed no weapons of mass destruction (WMDs) and was 'pre-nuclear armament.' Regarding the possibility of sending US ground troops to Iran, Trump stated, "We’re not discussing it," and added, "The last thing I want is (to send) ground troops."

Trump said he does not expect China to intervene in the Iran-Israel conflict.

He further stated that North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) members should use 5% of their domestic GDP for defense spending, while insisting that the United States should be an exception. Trump continued, "We have supported NATO for a long time. In my opinion, in many cases we have paid almost 100% of the costs," claiming that European NATO members are 'free-riding' on security.

Trump also criticized Spain, which expressed its inability to accept the 5% of GDP defense spending, for its "notorious" low defense expenditures. As of last year, the US spent about 3.4% of its GDP on defense. Trump plans to demand a pledge for 5% defense spending from NATO members at the summit to be held in The Hague, Netherlands, on the 24th–25th.

Meanwhile, Trump claimed that he should have been awarded the Nobel Peace Prize 4–5 times, referring to the 'Abraham Accords,' which normalized diplomatic relations between Israel and neighboring Arab countries during his first term, and his mediation in the India-Pakistan dispute during his second term. He asserted that the Nobel Committee only gives the Peace Prize to progressives.

Hye-won Ahn, Hankyung.com journalist anhw@hankyung.com