Trump tells ABC News he thinks he can trust the Iranians
After announcing the Strait of Hormuz is "completely open" and saying a deal can soon be secured with Iran, a triumphant-sounding President Donald Trump told ABC News he believes he can trust the Iranians.
"I think they've had it," Trump said in a phone interview on Friday. "I think they've had enough. That can happen to anybody. Even people like you and I can say, 'I've had enough.'"
Trump said that the United States will be working with Iran to remove their enriched uranium, what he calls "nuclear dust," and that it will be brought to the United States.
The president said it will be done with the Iranians in a "very peaceful manner."
Trump also told ABC News the Iranians will be receiving no money for the exchange, saying that reports of a $20 billion payment are "fake news."
Trump said this will all be resolved "very soon," and that the U.S. blockade on ships coming to and from Iran will not come down until the agreement is finalized.
When asked if he thinks he can trust the Iranians to fulfill their commitments here, Trump said yes.
On his negotiating team, Trump told ABC News, "Steve [Witkoff] and Jared [Kushner] will be going out, and maybe J.D. [Vance]. Haven't spoken to J.D. about that yet."
The president said talks would take place in "Islamabad only. I'm not interested in going to countries that didn't help." Trump said a second round of talks could happen as soon as this weekend, though no formal announcement has been made.
"They want to make a deal. They want to make some money, you know. ... They're not making any money as long as I have the blockade," Trump said.
Trump also said NATO called him, though he didn't say specifically who, and offered to help.
"NATO called me and said, 'Is there anything we can do?' And I said, 'Yeah, stay away,'" he said.
The president also spoke at length about Lebanon. On Thursday, Israel and Lebanon agreed to a 10-day ceasefire. The Israeli military action in Lebanon targeting Hezbollah, an Iran-backed militia group, had been an obstacle in talks between the U.S. and Iran.
Trump said that's a separate peace deal, and he reiterated what he has said on his social media platform: "I am going to prohibit him [Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu] from bombing Lebanon."
When asked how, Trump said he'll tell Netanyahu "he cannot do it."
Regarding Lebanon, Trump said that he is going to involve the president of Syria in the final deal, and that he's going dealing with Hezbollah.
