Trump Seeks ‘Total Dismantlement’ of Iran’s Nuclear Program

By Staff, Agencies

US President Donald Trump has said he wants Iran to completely scrap its nuclear program, as negotiations between the two countries have been postponed.

Trump was asked by Kristen Welker on NBC’s Meet the Press on Sunday whether he was aiming to limit or completely abolish Iran’s nuclear program.

“Total dismantlement. Yes, that is all I would accept,” Trump said. He questioned the necessity of the Islamic Republic having nuclear technology for electricity generation. “They have so much oil – why do they need it? … Civilian [nuclear] energy often leads to military wars. And we don’t want them to have a nuclear weapon. It’s a very simple deal,” he said.

Trump further added: “I just don’t want them to have a nuclear weapon because the world will be destroyed.”

He made his remarks after Omani Foreign Minister Badr Al-Busaidi announced that the fourth round of indirect, Omani-mediated talks with Iran, planned for Saturday, had been postponed indefinitely “for logistical reasons.”

The negotiations, previously described by both sides as constructive, have been overshadowed by tensions in Yemen, where the US and Britain have ramped up airstrikes against the Yemenis.

"Israeli" Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed to retaliate after a Yemeni ballistic missile landed near “Ben Gurion” Airport outside "Tel Aviv" on Sunday, injuring eight people. The Yemenis said they were aiming for a “comprehensive air blockade” of "Israel" in solidarity with the Palestinians in Gaza. Iran denied directing the Yemeni attacks, calling such claims “misleading.”

Trump withdrew the US from the 2015 UN-backed deal on Iran’s nuclear program during his first term in office, accusing the Islamic Republic of secretly violating the agreement.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi warned last month that the country would resist any “pressure and threat” from the US.