Trump Says Iran Nears Nuclear Deal

WASHINGTON:
US President Donald Trump said that Iran had agreed to “just about everything we need” in negotiations over its nuclear programme, while insisting that Tehran would never be allowed to obtain a nuclear weapon.

Speaking in an interview with CNBC, Trump said his administration remained focused on preventing Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons and expressed confidence that ongoing negotiations were moving in Washington’s favour.

“We’re negotiating, and we’ll see whether or not. I think they’ve agreed to just about everything we need,” Trump said.

He described the US objective as “the denuking of Iran” rather than a conventional military campaign.

“This is the denuking of Iran. You can’t let them have a nuclear weapon,” Trump said.

Asked whether he was seeking regime change in Tehran, Trump said that was not his goal.

“I’m not looking for regime change. I’m looking for something very simple. They cannot have a nuclear weapon.”

Trump said US military operations had significantly weakened Iran’s military capabilities since he returned to office.

“I’ve defeated them militarily. They’re totally defeated militarily. They have some missiles left, we could wipe them out too.”

He said the United States had carried out repeated strikes in response to Iranian actions.

“I hit them three times last week very hard, because they sent a drone into a ship. I hit them. Then they did something else, and I hit them. I hit them three nights in a row, the week before I hit them two nights in a row, very hard.”

Trump also said the United States had enforced what he described as a naval blockade to increase pressure on Tehran.

“I did a blockade that was essentially not a blockade, it was a wall of steel. We have the great Navy, the greatest navy in the world. Not one ship got through to Iran.”

He argued that the campaign had sharply reduced Iran’s economic strength.

“They have 300 per cent inflation, they’re making no money.”

Trump said Washington could eventually become a supplier of agricultural products to Iran if negotiations produced an agreement.

“We’re going to take some of the money, and we’re going to buy them. They need food. They need corn, and wheat, and soybeans, and we’re going to have exclusively our American farmers provide that. Assuming we get to the position where we should get to.”

The President also defended his administration’s handling of the Strait of Hormuz, saying US naval operations helped prevent a sharp rise in global oil prices.

“Every night, we were taking ships out through the South… We escorted them out, and nobody knew.”

Trump said maintaining oil supplies was essential to preventing a global economic shock.

Iran has consistently maintained that its nuclear programme is intended for peaceful civilian purposes, while the United States and several Western countries have long sought to prevent Tehran from developing a nuclear weapon.