President Donald Trump held a marathon press conference on June 17, 2026, at the G7 summit in Evian, France, to address his recent Memorandum of Understanding with Iran and the controversy surrounding the release of $300 billion to Iran [1]. Trump was questioned about his absence from the upcoming deal signing in Switzerland, stating he might attend but planned to send JD Vance instead, joking, 'If it works out, I’ll take the credit. If it doesn’t work out, I’m blaming JD!' [1].
A major point of contention was the claim that Iran would receive $300 billion, a figure not previously disputed by the White House and which has fueled significant political and media backlash [1]. Trump insisted, 'We’re not putting up 10 cents,' but acknowledged that the U.S. has frozen $300 billion in Iranian assets, suggesting the debate is largely about semantics [1].
Trump also discussed the military actions leading up to the agreement, stating that he dropped $200 million worth of bombs on Iran in the final two days of combat, which he believes persuaded Iran to sign the memorandum and led him to cancel a planned third day of bombing [1]. He further claimed to have achieved regime change in Iran by killing the first two levels of Tehran’s leadership, despite previously stating that regime change was not his goal [1].
The press conference highlighted ongoing political divisions, with figures like Marco Rubio remaining silent on the deal and Trump facing criticism from across the political spectrum [1]. No explicit market reactions or analyst opinions were provided in the article.
CONCLUSION
President Trump's defense of the Iran war deal and the $300 billion asset issue has sparked intense political debate and media scrutiny. The event underscores significant uncertainty and controversy, with potential implications for U.S.-Iran relations and broader geopolitical stability.