Trump: I received assurances from Iran that they won’t acquire nuclear weapons
US President Donald Trump said that Iran has pledged not to pursue nuclear weapons, the main sticking point in negotiations aimed at ending the war in the Middle East.
After an atmosphere in recent days suggested that an understanding was close, The New York Times reported on Saturday that the US president had sent a new proposal to Tehran in which he had tightened his conditions.
While the US media didn’t reveal the changes made by Trump, Axios reported that the president wants a tougher stance on several points he considers important, particularly those related to Iranian nuclear materials.
In an interview recorded in recent days and broadcast Saturday on Fox News, Trump said he had received assurances from Tehran that it would not acquire a nuclear weapon, neither by purchasing nor manufacturing it.
He added, “They agreed to that, and that was interesting,” and continued, “First they said: We won’t make a nuclear weapon, so I said: Okay, what if you buy a nuclear weapon? And now they say: We won’t make a nuclear weapon and we will not buy one”.
Trump said, “I’m not in a hurry… Slowly but surely, I think we get what we want… And if we don’t get what we want, things will go differently”.
From his part, US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said on Saturday that the United States was capable of returning to war against Iran if talks failed.
The nuclear issue is one of the main points of contention between Washington and Tehran in these negotiations aimed at ending the war that began on February 28 with American and Israeli airstrikes on Iran.
Washington accuses Tehran of seeking to acquire nuclear weapons, which Tehran denies, insisting that the matter will be discussed later, after the signing of the agreement currently under discussion.
The other major point of tension is the Strait of Hormuz, which Iran closed at the start of the war, and Washington responded by imposing a blockade on its ports.
Washington insists on its rejection of Iran’s control of this vital corridor, as the US Central Command (CENTCOM) said Saturday it stopped a ship that was trying to reach an Iranian port, firing a missile at its engine room.
The Iranian Tasnim news agency quoted sailors as saying that the US Navy continues to prevent Iranian commercial ships from sailing.
The Revolutionary Guard said on Sunday that it shot down an American drone that was about to enter Iranian territorial waters to carry out hostile operations, and there was no immediate American response.
Tehran is demanding that Washington unfreeze billions of dollars of Iranian assets held in the United States.
Iranian television said on Saturday, based on an unofficial version, that the protocol of the agreement stipulates the release of $12 billion in sixty days.
Iran is also demanding an end to the war between Israel and Hezbollah in southern Lebanon, which broke out on March 2.
On Sunday, the Israeli army said its ground operations in Lebanon were expanding into additional areas after it crossed the Litani River, which lies 30 kilometers from the border, despite a declared ceasefire agreement that was not respected.
