Trump Announces Iran Meeting, Discusses Ceasefires and NATO Spending at Summit

President Trump announced the U.S. will meet with Iran next week. This announcement followed a news conference concluding the NATO summit in The Hague, Netherlands. He mentioned the possibility of a formal agreement with Iran at some point, though he didn't believe it was necessary, citing the destruction of Iranian nuclear sites.

During the press conference, the president stated the U.S. would "meet" with Iran, but didn't specify the participants or location. He emphasized his lack of strong feelings about an agreement, given the perceived destruction of Iran's nuclear capabilities. He added that if a document were to be produced, it wouldn't be a bad thing.

The president met with other world leaders on the sidelines of the summit, amid cautious optimism about the ceasefire brokered by the Trump administration. The 12-day conflict resulted in casualties in both Israel and Iran. Mr. Trump expressed his belief that the conflict was over, and that both sides were exhausted.

At the summit, Mr. Trump said Iran's enrichment efforts were set back significantly. He described the U.S. strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities as "very, very successful." However, an initial classified assessment by the Defense Intelligence Agency estimated the strikes only set back Tehran's nuclear program by a matter of months.

Regarding the Israel-Hamas conflict, Mr. Trump expressed optimism, stating that "great progress is being made on Gaza." He attributed this progress to the actions taken by the U.S.

On Wednesday, Mr. Trump met with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, who praised the president's efforts in boosting defense spending and in the Middle East. He also met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, where they discussed achieving a ceasefire and a peace deal.

The president said he would speak to Vladimir Putin to see if the conflict could be ended. He also addressed a question from a Ukrainian BBC reporter regarding the potential provision of Patriot missile defense systems to Ukraine. He indicated that the U.S. would consider making them available.

NATO members, with the exception of Spain and Slovakia, agreed to a significant increase in their defense spending. Mr. Trump highlighted this commitment, referring to it as "The Hague defense commitment." He also addressed Spain's refusal to commit to the spending threshold, stating that the U.S. was negotiating with Spain on trade.

The trip was a brief one for Mr. Trump. He said he was leaving NATO with a different perspective on Article 5, the agreement for mutual defense. He stated he no longer considered the alliance a "rip-off" and wanted the U.S. to help defend other NATO nations.