US President Donald Trump said today that the United States and Iran have "somehow" agreed on the terms of a deal on Iran's nuclear potential, giving some confidence that the agreement itself will be reached soon.
Speaking to reporters at a business roundtable in Doha, Qatar, Trump described the talks between US envoy Steve Witkoff and Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi as "very serious... about long-term peace."
Yet throughout his visit with Arab leaders in the Gulf this week, the US president stressed that military action against Iran's nuclear facilities was a possibility if negotiations failed.
"Iran has kind of accepted the terms... they will not make, as I affectionately call it, 'nuclear dust.' There will be no 'nuclear dust' being made in Iran," Trump said.
He did not provide details, but indicated that there was increasing compliance with the conditions he had requested.
A top political, military and nuclear adviser to Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, told NBC on Wednesday that Tehran is ready to get rid of its stockpile of highly enriched uranium that could be used for weapons, agree to enrich uranium only to lower levels needed for civilian use and allow international inspectors to monitor the process. But Shamkani added that in return, Iran wants all economic sanctions lifted immediately.
Trump said his demands were straightforward.
"They can't have nuclear weapons. That's just one thing. It's very simple. It's not like I have to give you 30 pages of details. It's just one sentence. They can't have nuclear weapons," Trump said.
The US president, however, indicated yesterday that he expects Tehran to make other concessions as part of a potential agreement.
"Iran must stop sponsoring terrorism, stop its bloody proxy wars, and permanently and verifiably end its pursuit of nuclear weapons," Trump said at a meeting in Saudi Arabia with leaders from the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC). He also said the Iranians "cannot have nuclear weapons."
Trump has pointed to Gulf states such as Saudi Arabia and Qatar as models for economic development in the conflict-ridden region. He has urged Qatari officials to use their influence to encourage Iran to reach a nuclear deal with the United States.
Trump is on a Middle East tour this week, visiting Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates, with Abu Dhabi in the Emirates being the last stop on his Middle East trip.
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