Iran has agreed to shun nuclear arms: Trump

PEACE TALKS | US president signals possible meeting with Mojtaba soon, denies claims negotiations have stalled

Agencies

Washington

US President Donald Trump has said Iran has agreed not to pursue nuclear weapons and indicated that he could meet Iran’s Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei in the future if ongoing negotiations between the two countries progress successfully.

In an interview broadcast on Wednesday, Trump said Tehran had alrea­dy accepted a key US demand regarding its nuclear programme. “Theyve already agreed they’re not going to have a nuclear weapon,” Trump said while discussing efforts to end hostilities between Washington and Tehran.

Trump asserted Mojtaba remains directly involved in negotiations despite his prolonged absence from public view and reports about his health. “He’s involved, absolutely,” Trump said, adding that Iranian leaders have “a lot of respect for him.” The US president said he had never met Khamenei but expressed a willingness to do so.

Dismissing reports that negotiations had stalled, Trump insisted communication between the two sides remained active. On Truth Social, he said reports claiming Washington and Tehran had stopped talking were “false and erroneous”.

“Fake news reports that the Islamic Republic of Iran, and the US, stopped speaking a few days ago are false and erroneous. The conversations between us have been going on continuously,” he wrote.

Trump acknowledged that the outcome remained uncertain but urged Tehran to reach an agreement. “It’s time, one way or another, for you to make a deal,” he said.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio also said there were indications that Khamenei was becoming increasingly involved in Iran’s affairs, suggesting diplomatic efforts to secure a broader agreement remain underway.

Furthermore, Trump has confirmed he called Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu “f***ing crazy”. “I was a little bit perturbed at his constantly fighting with Lebanon,” Trump said, defending his tone of the conversation, saying, “I am a wartime president and he is a wartime prime minister.” However, Trump said, “We have worked very well together. I like Bibi a lot.”

 Trump Admininstration Scraps 

 $1.8bn ‘Anti-Weaponisation Fund’

The Trump administration is abandoning its nearly $1.8 billion “anti-weaponisation” fund on the heels of a widespread political backlash and legal setbacks. Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche confirmed the pivot on Tuesday, in an appearance before the appropriations committee in the House of Representatives. “We are not moving forward with the fund,” Blanche told lawmakers after intense and rare backlash from Trump’s fellow Republicans. “Period.”