President Trump [EPA=Yonhap News]

U.S. President Donald Trump stated on the 22nd (local time) that negotiations with Iran are progressing well, while reiterating that an attack could occur if Iran does not keep its promises.

Speaking to reporters at the White House, President Trump said regarding the negotiations with Iran, "We are doing very well in terms of reaching a fair and reasonable agreement."

He added, "If Iran does not keep its promises or does not behave properly, I will do what I have to do."

This suggests that military action could be taken against Iran if negotiations falter or break down. However, by using the relatively softened expression "what I have to do," he refrained from explicitly threatening an attack on Iran.

President Trump said, "As long as Iran respects us, there will be no problem." This can be interpreted as an indirect warning for Iran not to make unreasonable demands or engage in irregular actions during negotiations.

He added, "Negotiations are underway, and we will see how everything unfolds. But there are two principles: open straits and a country that cannot possess nuclear weapons."

President Trump also claimed that the Strait of Hormuz is completely open. However, ship passage through the Strait of Hormuz remains restricted.

He praised Vice President JD Vance, who led the U.S. negotiation team, saying, "He did a great job."

President Trump emphasized that even if sanctions on Iran are eased, funds will flow back to the United States.

He said, "All the money will come back in the form of food purchases. Iran cannot feed its 91 million people. The released funds will return to our farmers."

The intention is for Iran to purchase U.S. agricultural products with the released frozen funds. The U.S. negotiation team has made this proposal to Iran to prevent concerns that the released frozen funds could be diverted to support terrorism.

President Trump also reiterated his claim that he does not want to be like Herbert Hoover, the president during the Great Depression, and that the signing of the ceasefire MOU was to prevent an economic recession.

He argued, "A recession is truly bad. Nuclear weapons can cause a recession much faster."

The United States and Iran held their first high-level follow-up talks since signing the ceasefire Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) in Switzerland on the 21st and agreed to continue working-level negotiations.

President Trump also signed an executive order on the same day to accelerate research in quantum computing and have federal agencies adopt the technology.

The U.S. goal is to develop quantum computers by 2028. Quantum computing, which performs complex scientific calculations, is a field with significant national security implications, and the U.S. and China are fiercely competing for leadership.