Trump says Iran has renewed pursuit of 'sinister' nuclear goals
Kyiv • UNN
US President Donald Trump stated that Iran is resuming its nuclear program after US strikes. This intensifies speculation about preparations for new military strikes.
US President Donald Trump stated that Iran is working to restore its nuclear program, even amidst negotiations with Washington, which intensifies speculation about his preparation for a new round of military strikes in the coming days, Bloomberg reports, writes UNN.
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Iranian officials are "again pursuing their sinister ambitions" after US airstrikes last year dealt a devastating blow to the country's nuclear program, Trump said in his State of the Union address on Tuesday.
"They want to make a deal, but we haven't heard those secret words: 'We will never have nuclear weapons,'" he added. "We destroyed it, and they want to start all over again."
Iran has long maintained that its nuclear program is solely for peaceful purposes. In a social media post earlier on Tuesday, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Aragchi stated that his country "will under no circumstances develop nuclear weapons."
Trump is combining his rhetoric with a massive military buildup in the Middle East in recent weeks, the publication writes. His envoy Steve Witkoff and son-in-law Jared Kushner are scheduled to hold a new round of talks with Iranian officials in Geneva on Thursday.
Trump warned that he is considering a range of military strike options if talks fail, though he said he prefers to reach a deal. The US President and administration officials have publicly given conflicting accounts of what they actually want from a new deal with Tehran.
"A deal is achievable, but only if diplomacy is prioritized," Aragchi said.
In the 2015 deal with the US and global partners, Iran pledged never to seek nuclear weapons, and Trump withdrew from that deal in his first term, saying it did not provide sufficient guarantees against future nuclear disarmament. Before the June attacks, Iran had enough highly enriched material to quickly build about a dozen warheads if orders were given to build nuclear weapons, the publication writes.
Inspectors from the International Atomic Energy Agency have not checked the status of near-weapons-grade uranium stockpiles or assessed the extent of damage to enrichment facilities for over eight months.
While the talks are focused on the nuclear issue, the US president also pointed to Iran's ballistic missile program, terrorist activities, and support for proxy forces that threaten the US and its allies in the region.
Earlier on Tuesday, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and CIA Director John Ratcliffe briefed senior US lawmakers on Iran amid growing demands for the White House to explain the rationale for the military buildup, which includes aircraft carriers, guided-missile destroyers, fighter jets, and refueling aircraft. The meeting lasted about an hour, according to a source.
"The president has an obligation to justify our nation's goals, our interests, and how we will protect American interests in the region," Senator Mark Warner, the top Democrat on the Senate Intelligence Committee, told reporters after the briefing.
"This administration has not often done that," he added.