US President Donald Trump said he had obtained guarantees from Iran that it would refrain from pursuing the development of nuclear weapons, according to France 24.
Trump has repeatedly stressed that any deal with Tehran must include two key objectives: preventing Iran from developing or acquiring nuclear weapons and securing the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz.
“The one guarantee that I have to have is that there will be no nuclear weapons. They’ve agreed to that, and it was very interesting,” he told his daughter-in-law Lara Trump in an interview broadcast on her Fox News program on Saturday night.
However, Tehran has repeatedly challenged Trump’s claims, and the two sides appeared to be deeply divided over the kay issues.
Crucially, Iran has maintained that the release of at least $12 billion in frozen assets is a prerequisite for continuing substantive negotiations with Washington.
Moreover, Tehran has dismissed Trump’s “baseless” claims that its stockpile of enriched uranium would be destroyed.
Iran has further argued that Lebanon must be included in any framework to end the conflict.
Despite earlier assertions from Trump and US officials that a deal with Iran was close, Trump later struck a more cautious tone, mentioning in a Fox interview the option of renewed military action.
War in Iran
On February 28, the United States and Israel launched strikes on Iran, targeting its leadership and triggering a new conflict in the Middle East.
Iran has been responding with a retaliatory counterattack in Bahrain, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and Abu Dhabi as a retaliatory move, while launching barrages of missiles and drones toward Israel.
The conflict has spread across the Middle East, leaving thousands dead, triggering unprecedented disruptions to energy supplies especially after the blockade of the Strait of Hormuz.
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