Trump Says Iran Deal Would Keep Strait Open Without Toll Charges

During his recent visit to China, Mr. Trump praised President Xi Jinping, calling him “a total gentleman” and saying he had not tried to challenge the blockade by sending a tanker flanked by 20 destroyers on either side, a move that could have brought Chinese and American naval forces into confrontation.

Mr. Trump was sharply critical of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu over attacks that he said had nearly jeopardized the final agreement. “He’s a very difficult guy,” Mr. Trump said, adding that Israel should be grateful because “if Iran had a nuclear weapon, Israel wouldn’t be around for two hours.”

Mr. Trump’s suggestion that the United States could serve as a paid security force for the Middle East, if required, would mark a dramatic break with longstanding American policy. Under such an arrangement, the president would effectively convert U.S. regional protection, including the American nuclear deterrent, into a service provided for compensation, departing from the post-World War II model in which Washington used its power to support global stability and prosperity.

Mr. Trump has floated similar arrangements in other regions before. But when pressed on Sunday about whether Gulf states, including allies such as Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, had agreed to such a plan, he did not answer directly. Instead, he suggested discussions were only beginning and said the arrangement would depend on Iran remaining an adversary.

Mr. Trump described Iran’s current leadership, including the new supreme leader, Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei, as pragmatic. That marked a notable shift from his tone at the start of the war, when he urged Iranians to rise up and take control of their government once the American and Israeli bombing campaign was over. He acknowledged making that call, but said the Iranian people lacked weapons and would be slaughtered if they attempted an uprising.

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