United States President Donald Trump has claimed Washington is nearing an agreement with Iran to resolve a long-running nuclear dispute, despite ongoing diplomatic hurdles.
“We’re in very serious negotiations with Iran for long-term peace,” Trump said in Qatar during the second leg of his Gulf tour on Thursday, before heading to the United Arab Emirates.
“We’re not going to be making any nuclear dust in Iran,” he said. “I think we’re getting close to maybe doing a deal without having to do this.”
Trump said he was basing his optimism on new statements by Iran. “You probably read today the story about Iran. It’s sort of agreed to the terms,” he said.
The president did not specify which remarks he was referring to, but an adviser to Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Ali Shamkhani, said in a US media interview this week that Tehran was willing to accept far-reaching curbs on its nuclear programme.
“I want them [Iran] to succeed, I want them to end up being a great country,” Trump added on Thursday, “but they can’t have a nuclear weapon; that’s the only thing, it’s very simple.”
Trump’s remarks come amid intensified negotiations between US and Iranian officials, most recently held in Oman last Sunday. A US official confirmed to Axios that a new proposal had been delivered to Tehran during the fourth round of talks.
Credit: aljazeera.com
