On May 12 (US time), President Donald Trump declared that the financial difficulties of the American people do not affect his decision in his efforts to negotiate the end of the war with Iran. He emphasized that the most important goal is to prevent Tehran from possessing nuclear weapons.
Answering reporters' questions before leaving the White House for China, Mr. Trump said: "The only important thing is that Iran cannot have nuclear weapons." He said he did not consider the financial situation of Americans or any other factors when making decisions related to Iran.
Mr. Trump's statement is said to increase criticism, in the context of many opinions that the US administration needs to balance geopolitical goals and economic impact on people, especially when living costs are still a major issue before the midterm election in November.
White House Communications Director Steven Cheung explained that Mr. Trump's highest responsibility is to ensure the safety and security of Americans. He emphasized that if Iran does not act, it may possess nuclear weapons and that will threaten the United States.
Mr. Trump is currently facing increasing pressure from Republican members. Many people fear that economic damage from the war with Iran could cause this party to lose control of the House of Representatives and even the Senate in the upcoming election.
The increase in energy costs related to the Iranian conflict has pushed gasoline prices in the US up and contributed to increased inflation. Data released on May 12 showed that consumer inflation in the US in April recorded the largest increase in 3 years.
Mr. Trump described his approach as a national and global security issue, in which economic concerns are only secondary to preventing nuclear proliferation.
However, US intelligence assessments show that the time Iran needs to build nuclear weapons has hardly changed since last summer. According to 3 sources, analysts once predicted that attacks by the US and Israel have extended this time to about 9 months to a year. After 2 months of conflict, the assessment of Tehran's nuclear program in general remains unchanged.
Iran denies pursuing nuclear weapons and affirms that its program serves peaceful purposes.
