Trump Appears To Undercut U.S. Proposal To Iran, Declaring He Won’t Allow Any Uranium Enrichment | EUROtoday

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump on Monday appeared to undercut a proposal that was provided by his particular envoy to Iran, saying he’ll insist that Tehran totally dismantle its nuclear enrichment program as a part of any deal to ease crushing sanctions.

Trump and Steve Witkoff, who’s main the negotiations for the U.S., have repeatedly provided inconsistent public messages about whether or not Iran can be allowed to retain the capability to counterpoint uranium to decrease ranges for civilian functions. The Trump administration maintains that it’ll not permit Iran to develop a nuclear weapon.

The negotiations have been framed by Trump as each international locations’ greatest likelihood to keep away from direct army battle over Iran’s nuclear program. Tehran, which denies searching for a nuclear weapon, has insisted that it’ll not comply with any deal that totally scraps its enrichment program.

“Under our potential Agreement — WE WILL NOT ALLOW ANY ENRICHMENT OF URANIUM!” Trump wrote on social media.

Addressing the seeming contradiction, a White House official mentioned Trump was talking the “cold, hard truth.” The official mentioned the phrases the U.S. gave the Iranians had been “very tough” and would make it not possible for them to acquire a nuclear bomb.

Trump’s submit comes after media stories that Witkoff’s newest proposal to Tehran would permit Iran to retain low ranges of enrichment for civilian makes use of like nuclear medication and business energy if it agrees to close down its closely protected underground websites for a time period. The U.S. and Iran have engaged in a number of rounds of direct nuclear talks for the primary time in years.

Senior officers — together with Witkoff and Trump himself — have mentioned inside the previous few weeks that Iran wouldn’t be capable of maintain enriching uranium at any stage.

The proposal, reported by Axios and confirmed by a U.S. official, known as for the creation of a regional consortium to deal with uranium enrichment for civilian makes use of — a plan first studied greater than a decade in the past in negotiations that led to the 2015 Iran nuclear deal.

Trump was sharply vital of that settlement — which additionally allowed set limits on uranium enrichment however permitted Iran to take care of such a capability — and withdrew the U.S. from it in 2017 throughout his first time period.

The officers spoke to The Associated Press on situation of anonymity to debate non-public diplomatic negotiations.

The International Atomic Energy Agency discovered that Iran has additional elevated its stockpile of uranium enriched to close weapons-grade ranges since its final replace in February, in response to a confidential report launched by the U.N. nuclear watchdog on Saturday.

Iran has maintained that its nuclear program is for peaceable functions solely, however Iranian officers have more and more steered that Tehran might pursue an atomic bomb.

“President Trump has made it clear that Iran can never obtain a nuclear bomb,” White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt mentioned in a press release earlier than Trump’s submit. “Special Envoy Witkoff has sent a detailed and acceptable proposal to the Iranian regime, and it’s in their best interest to accept it. Out of respect for the ongoing deal, the Administration will not comment on details of the proposal to the media.”

The proposal that Trump appeared to undercut on Monday night included important concessions by the administration sure to anger Israel together with pro-Israel lawmakers within the United States.

Several of the details had been basically the identical or similar to situations outlined within the 2015 nuclear deal.

Early iterations of that settlement negotiated by the Obama administration additionally steered the opportunity of a regional consortium that may put Iranian uranium enrichment above a sure stage underneath the management of Iran and its neighbors. The concept was scrapped, nonetheless, due to Gulf Arab nations’ objections and Iranian suspicions of the last word goals of the consortium.

People who had been concerned within the 18-month negotiations for the 2015 deal reacted instantly to stories that the Trump administration may permit Iran to proceed with an enrichment program at any stage, significantly after senior officers repeatedly mentioned Iran wouldn’t be capable of retain such applications.

“This proposal poses a moment of truth for critics of previous Iran nuclear negotiations/agreements (and) those who have called for a no-enrichment, full-dismantlement deal,” Dan Shapiro, Obama’s former ambassador to Israel, wrote on X. “Will they hold Trump to the same standard?”