Iran FM: Trump’s maximum pressure ‘failed’ experience
Araghchi says ‘not much of a problem’ to verify Iran not seeking nukes Iran’s VP: No meeting between Trump, Pezeshkian on agenda
Talks on Iran’s nuclear program seem to be returning on the right track after Iranian and American officials expressed readiness for resolving the issue through diplomatic negotiations.
US President Donald Trump on Tuesday, ahead of a meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, restored his “maximum pressure” campaign on Iran over allegations that the country is seeking a nuclear weapons capability.
But Trump also suggested a willingness to work out a deal.
“We don’t want to be tough on Iran. We don’t want to be tough on anybody,” Trump said. “But they just can’t have a nuclear bomb.”
As he signed the presidential memorandum, Trump described it as tough and said he was “torn” on whether to make the move.
He said he was open to a deal with Iran and expressed a willingness to talk to the Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian.
“I want Iran to be a great and successful Country, but one that cannot have a Nuclear Weapon,” he said early Wednesday in a post on his Truth Social platform.
“I would much prefer a Verified Nuclear Peace Agreement, which will let Iran peacefully grow and prosper.”
Several Iranian officials reacted to the Trump’s remarks and restoration of his “maximum pressure” campaign.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said Trump’s reimposition of “maximum pressure” against Iran will end in “failure” as it did during his first term.
“I believe that maximum pressure is a failed experience and trying it again will turn into another failure,” Araghchi told reporters following a cabinet meeting, adding that Tehran was not pursuing nuclear weapons.
“If the main issue is that Iran does not pursue nuclear weapons, it is achievable and is not much of a problem,” Araghchi added.
“Iran is a committed member of the NPT and its positions on this matter are quite clear,” he said, adding that the fatwa of Leader of Iran’s Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei against the possession and use of nuclear weapons also makes it crystal clear to everyone that Tehran is not seeking them.
During his first term that ended in 2021, Trump pursued the policy of “maximum pressure” against Iran, withdrawing the United States from a landmark nuclear deal between Iran and major powers, and reimposing biting sanctions.
The deal – known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) – imposed curbs on Iran’s nuclear program in return for sanctions relief.
Tehran adhered to the deal until a year after Washington pulled out, but then began rolling back its commitments after the other sides, especially the European countries, failed to fulfill their commitments. Efforts to revive the 2015 deal have since faltered.
While Araghchi hinted at the possibility of talks with Washington, Iranian Vice President Mohammad Reza Aref was more cautious on Wednesday.
Aref said a meeting between Trump and Iranian president was not at all on the agenda.
He highlighted that Iran has a clear stance on nuclear weapons, underscored by a religious decree by the Iranian Leader that prohibits the development of nuclear weapons.
He noted that if Trump believes Iran should not pursue nuclear weapons, he can rest assured as Iran’s longstanding policy and religious decree firmly support this stance.
On Wednesday, Iran’s nuclear agency chief Mohammad Eslami also insisted that the Islamic Republic remains committed to the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, saying, “Iran does not have, and will not have a nuclear weapons program.”
Iran has denied it is pursuing a nuclear weapons program, saying that its nuclear program is solely for peaceful purposes.