TABNAK, Feb 01: Before the end of his previous term in office in 2020, Trump claimed that he was one week away from reaching a deal with Iran and he still believes that he can make a deal with Iran assuring that Tehran would never acquire nuclear arms.”
“The only thing I've said about Iran -- and I want them to have a great country, they have great potential, the people are amazing -- The only thing I said about Iran, is they can't have a nuclear weapon,” Trump said during an interview with Fox News.
Asked if he trusts Iran's leaders, Trump said "there are ways that you can make it absolutely certain, if you make a deal," stressing any deal would have to "verify times 10."
"They cannot have a nuclear weapon. And, you know, they get one, you're gonna have everyone else getting them, and then the whole thing is going to be a disaster," he added.
US president is willing to first try diplomacy with Tehran before any effort to apply pressure on the Islamic Republic, anonymous sources told the Financial Times newspaper.
The approach seems to be different from Trump's first term when, led by Iran hawks like former National Security Advisor John Bolton, the president pursued a "maximum pressure campaign" in an ultimately futile effort.
Trump in 2018 unilaterally withdrew the US from the accord, known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, that Iran struck with six world powers -- China, France, Germany, Russia, the UK and the US. The European Union was also a signatory on the agreement that saw Tehran receive billions of dollars in international sanctions relief in return for the deal.
Trump’s claims were made whereas Iran has frequently asserted its nuclear work merely seeks peaceful purposes including power generation, agriculture and medicine.
Iran has also said that nuclear arms have no place in its defense doctrine.
