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At a news conference closing the NATO summit in the Netherlands on Wednesday, former U.S. President Donald Trump declared that the deadly 12-day conflict between Israel and Iran is “over” and unlikely to resume soon.
“We think it’s over. I don’t think they’re going back at each other,” Trump said, adding that U.S. officials will meet with Iranian leaders next week.
Trump controversially compared recent American airstrikes on Iranian nuclear facilities to the dropping of atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki during World War II, suggesting the strikes ended the conflict “in a different way.”
However, U.S. intelligence reports suggest Iran’s nuclear program remains partly intact, with some core infrastructure—including centrifuges and enriched uranium stockpiles—still operational. Trump rejected these findings, insisting satellite images prove three key sites—Fordow, Natanz, and Isfahan—were “obliterated,” although Pentagon assessments remain incomplete.
Rafael Grossi, head of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), stressed that focusing solely on the physical damage misses the broader challenge: Iran retains the knowledge and industrial capacity to rebuild. He called for renewed cooperation and access for inspectors.
Despite Trump’s insistence that Iran’s nuclear capabilities have been decimated, his Middle East envoy, Steve Witkoff, voiced hope for a peace deal while warning Iran must never be allowed to develop a nuclear weapon. “That will destabilize the entire region,” Witkoff told CNBC.
Trump also hinted at the possibility of easing sanctions on Iran to support economic recovery, though he maintained that his “maximum pressure” policy remains in place.
Trump spent his final day at NATO meeting Dutch royals and officials, holding talks with NATO leaders, and meeting privately with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy before departing for Washington.
