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Former U.S. Amb. to the United Nations Nikki Haley said President Donald Trump must take a tougher stance on Russia and China to further weaken Iran, suggesting he threaten them with “force.”
Her remarks on “The Story” come as Trump vows to hit Iran “hard” again after U.S. forces launched strikes against the nation for shooting down a U.S. helicopter.
“I think Trump was right to absolutely say, ‘We’re going to hit them,’ especially after they’ve gone after us. But let’s take it a step further and go after China and Russia,” the former South Carolina governor said Wednesday.
Haley said Russia and China have provided military assets – like drones and satellite imagery – to Iran and argued that Trump should threaten the world superpowers with “force” if such support continues.
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“When we go after China and Russia, and hold them accountable, and tell them to stop, that’s when we’ll start to really see Iran get weakened,” she added.
Haley said the pressure the U.S. is putting on Iran must extend beyond Tehran to the regime’s allies, including Russia and China, which she accused of aiding Iran’s war effort.
“[Trump] needs to pick up the phone and call Xi, and he needs a pickup a phone and call Putin and say, ‘Stop it’,” she said.
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“He needs to let them know that they will be held accountable, and he will put force on them if they continue to help Iran in this war. And they need to know he’s serious, and he has to be prepared to follow through with it,” she continued.
Trump had a positive visit with Chinese President Xi Jinping last month and said the world leader offered to help end the Iran conflict and agreed Tehran cannot possess a nuclear weapon.
The president warned Wednesday that Iran has “taken too long” to negotiate an agreement and reiterated calls for officials to “sign a deal.”
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Iran remains stubborn in abandoning its nuclear capabilities. The nation’s president Masoud Pezeshkian responded to Trump’s threat on X Wednesday, saying Iran “will stand firm against any pressure.”
Haley said Iran is willing to endure “a lot of pain” to maintain its pre-war position in the Strait of Hormuz and preserve capabilities to develop a nuclear weapon.
The diplomat also suggested Iran may be using negotiations to buy time as the conflict drags on, warning that they are likely “strategizing.”
“The reality is, Iran never had any intention of negotiating,” Haley asserted. “They’ve done this so many times. They stall. They make you think they are going to do something. Right when you think you’ve got a deal, they throw cold water on it. And then, the whole time, they’re strategizing.”
The former South Carolina governor called on the U.S. and Israel to finish the job, as the war drags on past 3 months.
“I think Israel and the U.S. have done an amazing job at weakening Iran,” Haley said. “And now they just need to finish what they started.”
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