'There are ways that you can make it absolutely certain' Iran does not attain a nuclear weapon if deal is properly crafted, says US president
A new nuclear agreement with Iran is possible, though the details of any pact would have to be carefully negotiated, US President Donald Trump said in remarks aired Thursday evening.
"The only thing I've said about Iran -- and I want them to have a great country, they have great potential, the people are amazing -- The only thing I said about Iran, is they can't have a nuclear weapon and they are religious zealots," Trump said during an interview with Fox News.
Asked if he trusts Iran's leaders, Trump said "there are ways that you can make it absolutely certain, if you make a deal," stressing any deal would have to "verify times 10."
"They cannot have a nuclear weapon. And, you know, they get one, you're gonna have everyone else getting them, and then the whole thing is going to be a disaster," he added.
A report published earlier Thursday suggested that Trump will appoint his Middle East envoy, Steve Witkoff, as the point person for his administration's diplomatic efforts vis-a-vis Iran.
Witkoff currently serves as Trump's senior official for the Middle East, playing a role in negotiations under the Biden administration that brought a ceasefire to the besieged Gaza Strip on Sunday in exchange for the release of several Israeli hostages who had been held in captivity since a Hamas-led Oct. 7, 2023 attack on Israel.
The president is willing to first try diplomacy with Tehran before any effort to apply pressure on the Islamic Republic, anonymous sources told the Financial Times newspaper. The approach marks a significant departure from Trump's first term when, led by Iran hawks like former National Security Advisor John Bolton, the president pursued a "maximum pressure campaign" in an ultimately futile effort to bring Iran back to negotiations on its nuclear program.
Trump in 2018 unliterally withdrew the US from the accord, known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, that Iran struck with six world powers -- China, France, Germany, Russia, the UK and the US. The European Union was also a signatory on the agreement that saw Tehran receive billions of dollars in international sanctions relief in return for accepting unprecedented curbs and inspections on its nuclear program.
Asked by a reporter in the Oval Office if he is considering giving Witkoff the new remit, Trump said Witkoff is "certainly somebody I would use." No official announcement has yet been made.
Trump's team includes a variety of voices on Iran, including some like National Security Advisor Mike Waltz and senator-turned-Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who have favored a more hardline approach to Iran.
