President Donald Trump still believes his power as commander in chief is unlimited after he struck an agreement with Iran to end the war.
Asked by Axios White House correspondent Marc Caputo if he’s learned about limits to his power following the conflict, Trump denied there were any.
“There are no limits,” he said in an interview clip of The Axios Show released on Thursday. “None. I haven’t learned that lesson yet. I know there are, but there are no limits. We defeated them totally militarily.”
The U.S.-Iran war is winding down now that both sides have remotely signed a memorandum of understanding ahead of schedule. The signing was initially supposed to take place in Switzerland on Friday.
Trump signed the MOU at the Palace of Versailles in France on Wednesday, enabling the peace deal to take effect immediately. He later posted a photo of himself holding the signed document while sitting next to French President Emmanuel Macron.
Macron invited Trump to Versailles after the three-day G7 summit concluded. The Iran war was one of many topics discussed between Trump and other world leaders.
The 14-point document requires Iran to commit to refraining from building a nuclear weapon and charges both the United States and Iran with reopening the Strait of Hormuz, among other terms. The strait has been effectively closed since late February, driving up oil and gas prices globally.
Trump previously demanded “unconditional surrender” from Iran, but he settled for the MOU instead. Though it doesn’t appear so on its face, with Republicans and Democrats concerned about terms that could provide financial relief to Iran, he told Axios the agreement “probably is unconditional surrender.”
The president also boasted about the U.S. military’s strength during the three-month war.
“Who else could have done a blockade like that?” Trump asked. “I did a naval blockade where not one ship was able to get through. Some tried. It didn’t last very long.”
WORLD REACTS TO IRAN DEAL WITH MIX OF SKEPTICISM AND RELIEF
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian signed the MOU after Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei granted permission despite his negative opinion of the peace agreement. Khamenei said Pezeshkian stated Iran will not abide by the terms if the U.S. makes “excessive demands.”
It remains to be seen if the deal holds. War Secretary Pete Hegseth has indicated military operations regarding Iran can restart if needed.
