Trump Says U.S. Should Not Get Involved in Iranian Government Change

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Former president Donald Trump spoke about his views on Iran, saying he does not want to get overly involved in a change in the country's government.

In an interview with podcaster Patrick Bet-David on October 17, Trump discussed US sanctions on Iran, his "ending of the Iran nuclear deal," and his administration's relationship with Iran.

When asked if he hoped Iran would remove the current government and return to the Shah rule that took place in the 1970s, Trump said, "We can't get totally involved in all that. We can't run ourselves, let's face it."

Earlier in the interview, when asked what would "happen with Iran" by the end of his administration, Trump also said, "I would like to see Iran be very successful. The only thing is, they can't have a nuclear weapon."

Donald Trump Speaks During Interview in Chicago
Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump speaks during an interview with Bloomberg's John Micklethwait at the Economic Club of Chicago on October 15. Trump recently spoke with podcaster Patrick Bet-David about Iran and said the US... Evan Vucci/Associated Press

Trump has said on numerous occasions that he does not want Iran to have nuclear weapons but said in August that he hopes to maintain friendly relations.

During a press conference in New Jersey in mid-August, Trump said, "I'm not looking to be bad to Iran, we're going to be friendly, I hope, with Iran, maybe, but maybe not. But we're going to be friendly I hope, we're going to be friendly, but they can't have a nuclear weapon."

He added, "We were all set to make sure that they don't have a nuclear weapon."

Trump's statements are in accordance with his stance on the country's possession of nuclear weapons that he maintained during his presidency, as he exited the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (also known as the nuclear deal) in 2018 and re-imposed sanctions previously lifted in in 2016.

The former president recently reiterated his thoughts that Iran should not have nuclear weapons when he said Israel should "hit the nuclear first and worry about the rest later" following Iranian missile attacks in Israel at a campaign event in North Carolina.

Trump's statement to Israel contrasted with President Joe Biden's, who said he believed Israel should respond "proportionally," which did not mean strikes on Iran's nuclear facilities.

Bet-David's weekly podcast, the PBD podcast, discusses business, current events, politics, sports, and more. The host is a first-generation American and entrepreneur whose parents fled Iran following the onset of the Iranian Revolution and came to the US when he was 10 years old.

He previously served in the U.S. military as a member of the 101st Airborne before transitioning into a career in business and finance, launching his own company, PHP Agency Incorporated.

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About the writer

Maya Mehrara is a News Reporter at Newsweek based in London, U.K.. Her focus is reporting on international news. She has covered Ukraine, Russia, immigration issues, and the revolution in Iran. Maya joined Newsweek in 2024 from the Londoners and had previously written for MyLondon, the Camden New Journal, BUST Magazine, and Washington Square News. She is a graduate of New York University and obtained her NCTJ at News Associates. Languages: English. You can get in touch with Maya by emailing m.mehrara@newsweek.com


Maya Mehrara is a News Reporter at Newsweek based in London, U.K.. Her focus is reporting on international news. She ... Read more