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President says Iran has been "defeated militarily" and looks to China summit to secure outcomes
Summary
In a press gaggle, the President called Iran's military "gone," said preventing Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon is his top priority, and said he expects productive talks with Chinese President Xi; several foreign-policy claims were stated as assertions and not independently verified in the gaggle.
The President told reporters he expects "very good" results from his upcoming summit with Chinese President Xi and said the trip will be "very exciting" as he pursues an outcome on Iran.
The President repeatedly described Iran as "defeated militarily," saying "their navy's gone, their air force is gone" and asserting that "they've killed 42,000 people at least over the last month and a half." He said the single priority guiding talks with foreign leaders is to prevent Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon, calling that outcome nonnegotiable.
Why it matters: The President framed the China visit as central to securing a diplomatic resolution while emphasizing military progress in the Iran conflict. His repeated injunction that Iran "cannot have a nuclear weapon" sets a firm public negotiating position ahead of the summit.
Details and exchanges: Reporters asked whether China or Pakistan would mediate; the President praised Pakistan's leaders as "great" and described his personal relationship with President Xi as positive. On whether he needed assistance from China, he said, "No, I don't think we need any help with Iran," but later said China "could" help if it chose to.
The President also dismissed a report cited by a reporter that U.S. military officials said the Kurds had not received arms; he responded, "Officials are wrong." The allegation and the President's rebuttal were presented as conflicting claims in the gaggle.
What the gaggle did not establish: The President's casualty figure and the characterization that Iran's armed forces are entirely destroyed were stated as his claims; reporters did not present corroborating evidence in the transcript. The transcript records neither independent verification nor citations to named intelligence or military reports.
Next steps: The President said he would discuss these issues during the China summit and that further announcements would follow the meetings.
