Trump warns Iran against pursuing nukes; Tehran wary of parting with uranium

Amid progress in talks between the US and Iran, President Donald Trump has once again warned Tehran from producing a nuclear weapon and threatened an American military strike if it went nuclear.

However, Iran is expected to reject a US proposal to transfer its stockpile of highly enriched uranium to a third country as part of the US efforts to scale back Tehran’s nuclear programme.

Trump’s threat

After Iran and the US held talks in Oman, Trump made it clear that he won’t shy away from military action if Tehran continued to pursue its aim to develop a nuclear weapon.

He also accused Iran of intentionally delaying a nuclear deal with the US and claimed that Tehran was "fairly close" to developing a nuclear weapon.

"Iran has to get rid of the concept of a nuclear weapon. They cannot have a nuclear weapon," Trump told the media.

Also read: Trump ‘wants’ Iran to be a great, happy country but not have nukes

Iran-US talks

Asked if American options for a response include a military strike on Tehran's nuclear facilities, the president said: "Of course it does."

Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff met Iran’s foreign minister Abbas Araghchi in Oman on Saturday. Both countries said the discussions were “constructive”.

The next round of talks between the two countries is scheduled in Italy.

Iran and Russia

Iran has repeatedly denied seeking nuclear weapons. It insists that its nuclear programme is for peaceful purposes.

Meanwhile, Iran's Araghchi is set to visit ally Russia to discuss its nuclear negotiations with the US.

Iran has argued that its stockpile of enriched uranium, amassed over the past four years, should remain in Iran under the strict supervision of the UN’s International Atomic Energy Agency.

Also read: Iran readies missiles for possible strike amid Trump's threats: Report

Iran’s insistence

Tehran sees this as a precaution in case a future US administration withdraws from the agreement, as Trump did in 2018 when he rejected the 2015 deal brokered by Barack Obama.

Tehran says that if the stockpile was to leave Iran and the US pulled out of the deal, it would have to start from scratch in enriching uranium to higher purity. This would amount to punishing Iran for a US violation.

Weakened Iran

With its economy in decline, Tehran is eager to attract direct investment by getting the crippling US sanctions lifted.

The US is also eager to get Iranian assurances that it won’t not use its influence to interfere in the sovereignty of other states.

Iran’s influence in the region has been weakened by the ouster of Bashar al-Assad in Syria, Israel’s assaults on the Hamas in Gaza and Hezbollah in Lebanon, and US attacks on Yemen.