Trump says US 'will have a deal with Iran within four weeks' if he is re-elected

President promises new ‘deal’ to supporters following 2018 withdrawal from Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action

Donald Trump has promised a new nuclear deal with Iran “within four weeks” if he is re-elected in November, according to a video of his remarks from inside a New Jersey fundraiser.

Footage from a campaign fundraiser on Sunday show the president addressing a crowd of packed-in supporters, none of whom appear to be wearing masks or socially distanced while at the home of a friend of the president who died from coronavirus.

Videos obtained by Jewish Insider show dozens of supporters at the Jersey Shore home of Stanley Chera, who died following Covid-19-related illness in April.

“If we win ... we will have a deal with Iran within four weeks,” the president said.

Admission to the fundraiser ranged from $5,600 up to $250,000.

His remarks followed a Friday statement from National Counterintelligence and Security Centre director William Evanina warning that Iran ”seeks to undermine US democratic institutions, President Trump, and to divide the country in advance of the 2020 elections.”

“Ahead of the 2020 US elections, foreign states will continue to use covert and overt influence measures in their attempts to sway US voters’ preferences and perspectives, shift US policies, increase discord in the United States, and undermine the American people’s confidence in our democratic process,” the director said in a statement.

Tensions between the US and Iran have increased following the administration’s 2018 withdrawal from the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, a 2015 agreement among members of the United Nations Security Council to reduce Iran’s stockpile of enriched uranium and to allow the International Atomic Energy Agency to inspect Iran’s nuclear facilities.

It’s unclear what a new deal would look like, though it follows a pattern of deadlines set by the president during his re-election campaign, including a healthcare overhaul and a vaccine for Covid-19, that have not materialised.

The campaign did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The president has frequently criticised the plan and blamed his predecessor Barack Obama for a “bad deal”, while the president’s withdrawal polarised the globe and was condemned by world leaders warning that a reckless decision could destabilise the region.

Iran remained in compliance with the deal following the president’s 2018 announcement but began stepping outside its boundaries, enriching uranium that exceeded the limitations of the deal. Meanwhile, the US imposed sanctions that restricted Iranian oil exports and disrupted the nation’s economy.

Tensions reached a boiling point with the US killing of Iranian general Qassem Soleimani in an airstrike in January. Iranian officials declared his killing an act of international terrorism. Days earlier, Iran announced it would be withdrawing from the deal, and Iran retaliated by attacking US and coalition bases in Iraq.

Another video from Sunday fundraiser shows Stanley’s son Haim Chera telling the president that he believes China “maliciously released” Covid-19.

“You are fighting a war against an invisible enemy, recklessly or maliciously released onto our shores from China, and you still made time to offer your assistance to us,” he said.