In-Town Pool Report #5: Iran Quotes

Iran quotes are below. More to come. Please check against transcript.

Asked if future US strikes would necessarily risk economic catastrophe, should Iran violate the terms of the MOU, the president said "nuclear weapon supercedes depression."

"Depression is real bad. Nuclear weapon will cause depression much more quickly," Trump told your pooler. "The way we're doing it, we have the opposite of a depression," he said of the current deal that allows oil to flow through the Strait of Hormuz. "We are doing really well, the numbers are incredible."

Earlier Sec. Wright said that oil and natural gas are flowing through the Strait of Hormuz "at pre-crisis levels" and that "we could get to above that."

"If Iran doesn't live up to their agreement, or if they're not behaving, I will do what I have to do," the president continued.

When asked if the Iranians knowing that he wants to avoid economic fallout gives them leverage over the US, Trump said the question was "so stupid," before noting the overall destruction of Iran.

Asked if he had any reassurance that Iran wouldn't use unfrozen money to rebuild it's military, the president replied, "we'll see, but they're supposed to use money to buy food for their people because right now the people are very hungry."

"And they're buying it exclusively from us," Trump said of Iranian purchase of food stocks.

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Philip Wegmann

WSJ White House Reporter