US President Donald Trump, in his latest statement on Iran, said that Tehran is extremely vulnerable following the tumultuous 18 months in the Middle East. He added that Iran might be ready to toe Washington’s line over its nuclear programme.
Iran-US talks: US President Donald Trump has warned Iran of ‘great danger’ if talks over the Islamic Republic’s nuclear programme between Tehran and Washington don’t go well. Trump even claimed that ‘beleaguered Iran’ is so extremely vulnerable after a tumultuous 18 months in the Middle East that it might finally be ready to abandon its nuclear programme. The talks between the US and Iran will commence on Saturday as Trump’s envoy Steve Witkoff and Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi gather in Oman.
Aboard Air Force One as he flew to Florida for the weekend, Trump said, “I want Iran to be a wonderful, great, happy country, but they can’t have a nuclear weapon.”
Iran’s weakened position in Middle East
In recent times, Iran’s proxy forces Hamas in Gaza and Hezbollah in Lebanon have been subjected to dramatic degradation following attacks by the Israeli forces. Moreover, US airstrikes, meanwhile, targeting Iran-backed Houthi militants in Yemen have hit oil refineries, airports and missile sites.
Israel also faces domestic pressure as years of international sanctions have choked the economy, which may prove Trump’s assertion right that Tehran can ‘abandon its nuclear programme’.
Additionally, the US Treasury Department announced a fresh set of sanctions earlier this week, which targeted five entities and an individual that American officials say play key roles in Iran’s nuclear programme.
Can US entice Iran to abandon its nuclear programme?
However, it remains to be seen if the US can entice Iran with a big enough carrot for it to make concessions to meet Trump’s demands that any potential deal go further in ensuring Tehran doesn’t develop nuclear weapons than the agreement forged during Democratic President Barack Obama’s administration.
Notably, US President Donald Trump pulled the US out of the nuclear deal signed between Iran and major powers of the world, including the US.
Under the 2015 nuclear deal with world powers, Iran could only maintain a small stockpile of uranium enriched to 3.67%. Currently, Iran has enough to build multiple nuclear weapons if it chooses. It also has some material enriched up to 60%, a short, technical step away from weapons-grade levels.
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