US President Donald Trump said, "Iran was the bully of the Middle East. They bullied Iraq. They bullied every country. There was fear everywhere in the Middle East. There is no fear anymore."
US President Donald Trump made a statement to the press during his meeting with Iraqi Prime Minister Ali Zaidi at the White House. Stating that Iraq has enormous oil reserves and a great wealth potential, Trump said during the meeting: "The Prime Minister has changed the country greatly in a short time. He especially changed his perspective on the USA. Partnerships are being formed between us."
Stating that US soldiers will leave Iraq as of September 30, Trump said, "We do not think our military presence is needed there anymore." Describing the US presence in Iraq as "a very large operation", Trump said, "Now all the oil companies are going to Iraq and establishing partnerships with Iraq. They get along very well. The relationship between us is turning into such a comprehensive relationship that we no longer need a military presence there."
"Iran was a great burden on Iraq"
Stating that they would be there to protect Iraq if necessary, but he did not think it would be necessary, Trump said, "Their main rival was Iran. Maybe they saw it as a friend, but I consider it a rival. Iran was a great burden on Iraq."
US President Trump said, "Iran was the bully of the Middle East. They bullied Iraq. They bullied every country. There was fear everywhere in the Middle East. There is no fear anymore." "Iran's military power has been reduced to a fraction of its previous level in just four months. So, they won't face this problem anymore," Trump said.
Trump said he thought that was one of the reasons why American oil companies were going there at a level never seen before.
"I think no one should demand a fee for crossing the Bosphorus"
Asked at the press conference why he changed his mind about applying a 20 percent fee for passage through the Strait of Hormuz, Trump said, "When I made this statement yesterday, I thought that we are the ones protecting the Strait of Hormuz, but we actually have no interest in this oil. We do not need oil. This was not important for us, but it was important for our allies. It was important for the countries with which we have very good relations, including the Gulf countries. That is why I put forward such a proposal and I think it was a good idea."
Stating that many countries called him regarding the passage fee through the Strait of Hormuz, Trump said, "I received calls from different people and countries. They said to me, 'We would like to do this in a different way. We would like to invest billions of dollars in the USA.' Actually, I liked this, because I think no one should demand a passage fee through the Strait."
Trump said, "We only brought this up to get reward for the service we provided. Gulf countries will invest a huge amount in the USA. This was extremely satisfying for me. In fact, I think it is much better." When asked whether the idea of charging a fee through the Strait of Hormuz has been completely shelved, Trump replied, "Yes, this issue is now completely closed."
Trump said, "I've talked to Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Bahrain, Kuwait and other countries. They all said they want to invest record amounts more in the United States. That's more than enough for me. There won't be any fees. I don't like the idea of fees anyway. But at the same time, it's not fair that we're protecting the world's trade, China and everyone else, while we're protecting nothing in return. I don't mind providing protection for China. I don't mind providing protection for anyone. But it wouldn't be fair if it wasn't compensated." used.
"The deal was completed, but then they suddenly gave up."
Asked about the possibility of lifting the naval blockade or granting sanctions exemptions to Iran, Trump said, "No, I gave them a chance. I wanted to give them the opportunity to make a deal. Actually, we had an agreement two days ago. The agreement was completed, but then they suddenly gave up. They did not like a part of the agreement and could not continue. They were the first to open fire, it was a big mistake to open fire first."
Stating that Iran has been hit heavily since then, Trump argued that the USA has eliminated almost all of Iran's military capacity.
Repeating his statements that Iraq has tremendous potential, especially due to its oil, Trump said, "We will achieve great things with Iraq."
Trump said, "We will make many agreements. We will create many jobs for both countries. We will extract a huge amount of oil. American companies will do this. They want to do business with America, not with other countries. This is a very good thing."
There is a high probability that the sanctions bill against Russia will pass
When asked whether he expected the sanctions bill against Russia to be passed in the next few weeks in the US Congress, Trump answered with the statement that the late American Senator Lindsey Graham wanted it very much. Trump said, "I think they want to add Iran to the bill. They will add Iran as well. If this happens, it would be a huge step. They might even add Hezbollah."
Stating that this was done on behalf of Lindsey Graham, Trump said, "This was the issue he focused on the most. There was no other issue he wanted more than this. The bill has a high probability of passing."
Asked about the possibility of indirect sanctions against China and India in such a situation, Trump said, "This needs to be looked at. This issue has not been discussed yet."
He described the NATO Leaders Summit in Ankara as "extraordinary"
Stating that he had just returned from the NATO Summit while mentioning that the USA has excellent relations with many countries, Trump said about the NATO Leaders Summit in Ankara, "It was extraordinary. To be honest, it was a complete love feast. It was incredible." -WASHINGTON