Washington, United States – In a joint meeting between US President Donald Trump and FBI Director Kash Patel at the White House.
Trump made a series of strong statements about Iran, Hamas, US military capabilities, and security challenges related to espionage.
Trump: Iran is “in a fragile position”
President Trump described Iran as “fragile and struggling for survival,” asserting that Tehran had lost its ability to influence the region, particularly with regard to its past support for Hamas. He said:
“Hamas today has no support. Iran used to support Hamas, but now it says: Don’t let us in.”
Trump indicated that the US strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities were decisive, adding:
“The last time they intervened, they didn’t get a good result.”
US and Israeli military action paved the way for the Gaza agreement.
President Trump linked the military strikes targeting Iran’s nuclear capabilities to the recent agreement in Gaza, stating that these operations removed the Iranian threat and paved the way for a peace agreement.
He added, “If we hadn’t destroyed Iran’s nuclear capability, this agreement wouldn’t have been reached. The Arab countries feared Iran then, but Iran no longer has the power now because of what we and Israel have done.”
He also stressed that the United States does not need a direct military presence on the ground to disarm Hamas, pointing to the effectiveness of US-Israeli military coordination.
Warnings about Iran’s nuclear program
In response to reports of Iran’s attempts to resume its nuclear program, Trump warned that any attempt to acquire a nuclear weapon would be met with an immediate military response. He said:
“The last thing Iran wants is to build a nuclear weapon. If they get close to that, those sites will be destroyed.”
Trump revealed that the United States is currently developing a new generation of bombs similar to those previously used against Iranian nuclear facilities.
He explained that US B-2 bombers carried out precision strikes on targets inside Iran without being detected by radar.
Rise in Iranian espionage cases
For his part, FBI Director Kash Patel announced a 50% increase in espionage cases related to Iran during the Trump presidency.
He emphasized that Iran, along with Russia and China, is one of the most prominent powers targeted by US counterintelligence efforts.
“In the case of China, the number of espionage-related arrests increased by more than 50%, and cases related to Iran saw a similar increase,” Patel said.
In the same context, he noted that espionage cases linked to Russia have increased by 33%, noting that 125 individuals have been arrested for terrorist activities since the beginning of this year, compared to 100 cases during the same period last year.