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President Trump says he will only accept the “full dismantlement” of Iran’s nuclear program as talks continue between Washington and Tehran.
The president revealed his administration’s ambitious goal for the first time Sunday, saying there can be no path for Iran to acquire nuclear weapons.
“Total dismantlement. Yes, that is all I would accept,” Trump told NBC’s Kristen Welker on “Meet the Press.”
“I want Iran to be really successful, really great, really fantastic. … I just don’t want them to have a nuclear weapon because the world will be destroyed,” he added.
Trump’s remarks come after members of his party have called on him to be clear about the ultimate goal of the ongoing nuclear talks with Tehran.
Still, despite saying there was no room for any middle ground, Trump also suggested he’s open to hearing arguments for Iran to be allowed to develop a civilian nuclear program.
Then again, “you know, civilian energy often leads to military wars. And we don’t want them to have a nuclear weapon,” he said.
The addendum falls in line with what US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Special Envoy Steve Witkoff have said about America looking to curtail Iran’s nuclear enrichment program rather than eliminate it completely.
The US hopes to ultimately convince Iran to give up its nuclear program, which Washington believes to be geared toward creating an atomic weapon, in exchange for a rollback of sanctions against the Islamic republic.
The president and his administration have repeatedly threatened to take military action against Iran if talks fall through, with Israel demanding force be used to make Tehran comply.
Iran, which has denied allegations that its nuclear program is geared toward developing weapons, said Monday that it remains committed to diplomacy with the US.
“We have announced our commitment to continuing the path of dialogue and diplomacy, and we have shown our full readiness by participating in several rounds of negotiations,” Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei said.
Baghaei noted that Iranian negotiators were willing to participate in a fourth round of negotiations after a scheduled meeting set for Saturday was canceled because of “logistical reasons.”
With Post wires
English (US)