Trump breaks with decades of US policy in jaw-dropping confession that Iran will have missiles as part of peace deal

By ELINA SHIRAZI, US SENIOR POLITICAL REPORTER Published: 18:08, 17 June 2026 | Updated: 18:29, 17 June 2026 In a stunning departure from decades of established US foreign policy, President Donald Trump revealed that a forthcoming peace agreement with Iran will likely allow the regime to retain its conventional ballistic missiles, arguing that a complete ban is unrealistic because 'they got to have some.' 'What am I going to do? Am I going to let Saudi Arabia have missiles, but they can't have them?' Trump said during the briefing. 'Missiles aren't the problem. They hurt a little location, but they don't blow up the planet.' A reporter pressed Trump, saying one of the goals of Epic Fury was to destroy Iran's ballistic missiles. 'What are they keeping? They have less than other nations now. The rest of them are underground. They can't even get them out,' Trump said in defense, adding that they have already knocked out about 85% of their missiles. For generations, every American administration has maintained a strict 'red line' against Iran's ballistic missile capabilities.  The issue was a big criticism in President Barack Obama's 2015 JCPOA, which explicitly excluded missiles because Iran refused to negotiate them - a move that hawks, including Trump himself during his first term, heavily criticized.  Trump ultimately withdrew from the JCPOA in 2018, citing the missile program as 'unfinished business' and subsequently launched a maximum pressure campaign that demanded total missile restrictions. However, speaking to reporters about a new memorandum of understanding, Trump broke not only with his predecessors but with his own historical stance by conceding that Iran would likely retain a missile arsenal. In a stunning departure from decades of established US foreign policy, President Donald Trump revealed that a forthcoming peace agreement with Iran will likely allow the regime to retain its conventional ballistic missiles, arguing that a complete ban is unrealistic because 'they got to have some' A reporter pressed Trump, saying one of the goals of Epic Fury was to destroy Iran's ballistic missiles President Trump speaks as he is flanked, from the left, Trade Representative Jamieson Greer, Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick, Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent during a media conference at the end of the G7 summit in Evian-les-Bains, France His sudden concession that Iran 'has to have' them isn't just a break from establishment bipartisan policy; it's a U-turn on his own first-term record. The new roadmap aimed at freezing Middle East hostilities, providing economic relief to Iran and initiating a '60–day negotiating process' has triggered intense debate on both sides. The primary flashpoint is a provision that could potentially create a staggering '$300 billion reconstruction and development fund for Iran,' raising sharp questions about whether the proposed incentives concede too much. The debate centers on a still officially unreleased memorandum of understanding between Washington and Tehran.  According to reports detailing the document, the temporary framework is designed to halt further escalation after months of intense conflict that recently peaked with American strikes on Iranian nuclear installations and left the region on the brink of an all–out war. Rather than focusing strictly on Iran's nuclear infrastructure, the sweeping agreement reportedly encompasses almost every critical geopolitical pressure point in the area, including Lebanon, the Strait of Hormuz, sanctions policy, maritime security and the future presence of American forces in the Middle East. The comments below have not been moderated. The views expressed in the contents above are those of our users and do not necessarily reflect the views of MailOnline. By posting your comment you agree to our house rules. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual We will automatically post your comment and a link to the news story to your Facebook timeline at the same time it is posted on MailOnline. To do this we will link your MailOnline account with your Facebook account. We’ll ask you to confirm this for your first post to Facebook. You can choose on each post whether you would like it to be posted to Facebook. Your details from Facebook will be used to provide you with tailored content, marketing and ads in line with our Privacy Policy.