Trump Says Iran MOU ‘Not Final,’ Warns U.S. Could Resume Strikes If Tehran ‘Doesn’t Behave’

by Emmitt Barry, Worthy News Washington D.C. Bureau Chief

(Worthy News) – President Donald Trump warned Wednesday that a preliminary memorandum of understanding with Iran is “not final,” making clear that U.S. military pressure remains on the table if Tehran fails to comply with the emerging agreement.

Speaking alongside Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi at the G7 summit in France, Trump said the digitally signed understanding with Iran is only an initial framework, not a binding final settlement. The agreement is expected to be physically signed in Switzerland on Friday.

“It’s a memorandum of understanding,” Trump said. “If I don’t like it, if they don’t behave, we’ll go right back to dropping bombs right smack in the middle of their head, okay? Because they’ve misbehaved for 47 years.”

The president framed the developing agreement as a hard-nosed diplomatic arrangement backed by American force, with the central objective being the prevention of a nuclear-armed Iran.

The deal is “a great deal for a lot of reasons,” Trump said, “but number one by far — 99.9 percent of it — is that they will never have a nuclear weapon.”

He added, “It’s a very strong deal. Nobody knows what it is, but it’s very strong, and most people seem to be very happy.”

Trump’s remarks came amid intense scrutiny from allies, critics, and regional observers who are watching closely to see whether the Iranian regime can be trusted to honor any agreement after decades of hostility toward the United States, Israel, and the West.

Hormuz Reopening Seen As Economic Necessity

Trump also said the Strait of Hormuz, one of the world’s most critical maritime chokepoints, is expected to reopen fully within days.

“The Strait is going to be opening. It’s already partially opened. It’s going to be opening up soon in full over the next day or two,” Trump said.

The president suggested that reopening the strait was not merely a diplomatic preference but an economic necessity, warning that continued disruption of shipping lanes could trigger severe global consequences.

“The alternative would be a worldwide depression,” Trump said.

He criticized those who favored pushing the confrontation further, arguing that driving Iran into a corner could prolong the crisis and keep commercial vessels away from the region.

“You drive somebody into the ground, and a lot of bad things happen,” Trump said, warning that shipping companies would not risk “floating billion-dollar ships” through waters threatened by rockets and mines.

The Strait of Hormuz carries a major share of global energy traffic, and any prolonged closure or military escalation there would send shockwaves through oil markets, shipping routes, and the broader global economy.

Trump Denies U.S. Backing For Reported $300 Billion Iran Fund

Trump also rejected reports that the final Iran agreement would include a $300 billion reconstruction or investment fund backed by the United States or Gulf allies.

“That’s false,” Trump said when asked about the reports.

He clarified that private companies may choose to invest in Iran if conditions allow, but insisted the United States is not contributing taxpayer money.

“People can invest if they want,” Trump said. “I mean, what am I going to do — say nobody’s ever allowed to invest? We’re not investing. We’re not putting up ten cents. People can decide to do that, but that’s up to them. We do not have a fund.”

Asked whether he was urging Gulf nations to finance such an initiative, Trump replied, “No, I’m not.”

He added that any future investment would likely depend on Iran’s conduct.

“If they do it, fine, but I would say they won’t be doing it for a while until they find out the behavior,” Trump said. “It’s a behavior thing.”

For conservatives wary of another diplomatic arrangement that enriches Tehran without securing lasting change, Trump’s comments appeared designed to reassure skeptics that the agreement remains conditional, force remains available, and U.S. money is not being placed on the table.

Israel’s Deeper Concern: Can Tehran Be Trusted?

Still, many remain deeply skeptical that any signed document can restrain a regime whose hostility toward the Jewish state is not merely strategic, but ideological and religious.

Iran’s ruling system is shaped by Twelver Shiite doctrine, which anticipates the return of the Mahdi, often referred to as the “Hidden Imam,” an end-times figure believed by adherents to restore justice and establish divine rule. Analysts and regional observers have long warned that this worldview can influence how Tehran’s leaders frame conflict, sacrifice, and confrontation with Israel and the West.

That concern is intensified by decades of revolutionary rhetoric from Tehran, where chants of “Death to America” and “Death to Israel” have not been fringe slogans, but recurring features of the Islamic Republic’s political culture. For Israeli officials and many in the region, those words are not dismissed as mere propaganda. They are viewed as a window into a regime that has built much of its legitimacy around resistance to the United States, the destruction of Israel, and the export of revolutionary Islamist power through proxies such as Hezbollah, Hamas, and the Houthis.

This is why skepticism extends far beyond the technical details of centrifuges, uranium stockpiles, and inspection timetables. For many in Israel, the central question is whether a regime shaped by messianic expectation, revolutionary ideology, and decades of hostility toward the Jewish state can ever be trusted to permanently abandon the nuclear threshold.

From Jerusalem’s perspective, Iran’s nuclear program has never been merely a civilian energy project. It is seen as part of a broader campaign to alter the balance of power in the Middle East, surround Israel with armed proxies, and keep the Jewish state under an existential shadow.

For that reason, any agreement will be judged not by diplomatic language but by enforceable results. If Iran truly dismantles its nuclear infrastructure, surrenders enriched material, stops funding terror proxies, and ends its calls for Israel’s destruction, the region may see a historic opening.

But if Tehran uses diplomacy to buy time, preserve hidden capabilities, and continue arming its proxies, Israeli leaders are likely to conclude that the deal has not ended the threat — it has merely postponed the next confrontation.

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