Following an Iranian appeal for a new nuclear deal, President Donald Trump has said a fresh deal could be brokered but only on his terms.
During an interview with American news channel Fox News, President Trump said Iran “can’t have a nuclear weapon” and that the U.S. would have to be “absolutely certain” the Islamic Republic didn’t have access to one before any deal could be struck.
“They have great potential. The people are amazing. The only thing I said about Iran, they can’t have a nuclear weapon.”
“There are ways that you can make it absolutely certain. If you make a deal, you have to verify times 10 but they cannot have a nuclear weapon. And, you know, if they get one, you’re gonna have everyone else getting them, and then the whole thing is going to be a disaster.”
Trump’s comments come following an appeal made by senior Iranian diplomat, Mohammad Javad Zarif, who expressed hopes that this time around, Trump will be “more serious, more focused, more realistic.”
Zarif, Iran’s vice-president for strategic affairs, pointed out that the returning U.S. president had not reappointed figures from his first term such as the former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and National Security Adviser John Bolton, who persuaded him in 2018 to quit the nuclear deal.
Zarif’s comments were made during an interview at the World Economic Forum where he also admitted that Iran had secretly attempted to revive negotiations with the U.S. on October 9, 2023, but the Hamas attack on Israel on October 7 sabotaged the effort.
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“We did not know about 7 October. We were supposed to have a meeting with the Americans on JCPOA renewal on 9 October, which was undermined and destroyed by this (Hamas) operation.”
Zarif added that Hamas “always worked for their own cause, even at our expense.”
It remains unclear if Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei fully endorses the stance on negotiating with the Americans.
Khamenei has expressed a more defiant tone amid perceived Iran axis retrenchment from directly fighting Israel over Gaza.
Although after Bashar Al Assad lost his hold over Syria, Ayatollah Khamenei rejected notions the Axis of Resistance was in a state of decline or vulnerability.
“With the developments in Syria and the crimes the Zionist regime is committing and the crimes that America is committing, and the help that some others are giving to them, they thought that the resistance was over .. They are completely wrong!”
Iran under pressure?
Iran appears to be climbing down from its previous assertive posture after suffering several major blows across its network of allies.
The Axis, which is made up of key Iranian allies and armed groups across the region, has faced major setbacks after the leadership of Hezbollah was wiped out by Israel in Lebanon and Bashar al-Assad was overthrown during a rapid Syrian rebel offensive.
Trump came close to all-out war with Iran during his first term when he ordered the assassination of top Iranian commander Qassem Soleimani in Iraq in 2020. But following a brief Iranian response, tensions de-escalated.
It remains unclear how aggressive Trump’s Iran policies will be this time around but he has already begun implementing pro-Israel and anti-Palestine executive orders.
On Wednesday, Trump ordered the start of a process which will see an Iran-backed group in Yemen designated a “terrorist group.”
He has also rescinded an executive order by the Biden administration that imposed sanctions on violent, illegal Israeli settlers in the occupied West Bank.
During his interview with Fox News, Trump was asked if he would support Israel striking Iran’s nuclear facilities.
“We’ll have to see. I’m going to be meeting with various people over the next couple of days. We’ll see, but hopefully that could be worked out without having to worry about it.
“Iran hopefully will make a deal. I mean, they don’t make a deal, I guess that’s OK, too.”
The 2015 nuclear deal offered Iran relief from international sanctions in exchange for guarantees that Tehran would not acquire nuclear weapons.
The deal offered Iran the prospect of major economic advancement and a chance to break away from the devastating sanctions which held the resource-rich nation back.
Iran has long denied seeking nuclear weapons, saying it only wants to develop its nuclear programme for energy generation.
