Trump Claims King Charles Agrees Iran Cannot Have Nuclear Weapons

U.S. President Donald Trump disclosed details of a private meeting with King Charles III during a state dinner at the White House on Tuesday, claiming the British monarch agreed that Iran should never acquire nuclear weapons.

The event honored King Charles III and Queen Camilla during the king's state visit to the United States. In his remarks, Trump referenced ongoing efforts in the Middle East, stating, "We're doing a little Middle East work right now and we're doing very well. We have militarily defeated that particular opponent, and we're never going to let that opponent ever... Charles agrees with me, even more than I do... we're never going to let that opponent have a nuclear weapon."

The comments drew attention in Britain for breaching conventions that keep discussions with the monarch private. The king, as head of state, remains politically neutral and cannot publicly correct misrepresentations. "Generally, as a matter of protocol, I think I would expect discussions between heads of state to be sort of behind the scenes, in those closed meetings, for those to be sort of kept private," said Craig Prescott, a constitutional law expert at Royal Holloway, University of London.