Trump adopts a somber tone in efforts to renew nuclear discussions with Iran
The president issued a stark warning: “We can’t let them have a nuclear weapon.”
TroibNews 
President Donald Trump announced on Friday his intention to pursue a new agreement with Iran to limit the nation’s nuclear program, cautioning that failure to reach a deal could lead to conflict.
In a conversation with Fox News, Trump revealed he had sent a letter to Ali Khamenei, the supreme leader of Iran, advocating for an agreement that would replace the one the Trump administration abandoned in May 2018 in favor of a strategy termed “maximum pressure.”
While he did not provide specifics, the president indicated that the situation could escalate into conflict, particularly given Iran's increased production of weapons-grade uranium since 2018. “We’re at final moments,” Trump stated. “We can’t let them have a nuclear weapon.”
The White House did not make the letter public, and Trump did not clarify whether he was considering direct U.S. military action as a response to the threat posed by a nuclear-capable Iran—an issue that has been a challenge for numerous administrations.
“There’ll be some interesting days ahead, that’s all I can tell you. We’re down to final strokes with Iran,” he noted.
Later in his remarks, Trump expressed his desire for peace with Iran, stating, “Hopefully we can have a peace deal. I’m not speaking out of strength or weakness, I’m just saying I’d rather have a peace deal than the other, but the other will solve the problem."
He discussed this letter, marking the first official engagement of his new administration with Iranian leaders, during an earlier interview on Fox News.
In response, Iranian officials dismissed the new approach. Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi declared that negotiations would not resume until the U.S. rollback its “maximum pressure” sanctions policy.
During his first term, Trump’s administration withdrew from the nuclear deal established under President Obama, which had required Iran to restrict its civilian nuclear enrichment program in exchange for sanctions relief. Just last month, the president signed a memorandum reinstating this pressure campaign.
Currently, Iran is ramping up its uranium enrichment towards weapons-grade levels. Rafael Mariano Grossi, the director of the International Atomic Energy Agency, has cautioned that Iran is alarmingly close to achieving nuclear armament, indicating that the country possesses enough enriched uranium at a near weapons-grade level to potentially fuel multiple nuclear weapons.
This week's public interactions come amid heightened tensions between the two nations, especially after U.S. prosecutors alleged last fall that the Iranian regime had ordered an operative to assassinate Trump in the lead-up to the 2024 election, a claim that Iran has consistently denied.
James del Carmen for TROIB News
In a conversation with Fox News, Trump revealed he had sent a letter to Ali Khamenei, the supreme leader of Iran, advocating for an agreement that would replace the one the Trump administration abandoned in May 2018 in favor of a strategy termed “maximum pressure.”
While he did not provide specifics, the president indicated that the situation could escalate into conflict, particularly given Iran's increased production of weapons-grade uranium since 2018. “We’re at final moments,” Trump stated. “We can’t let them have a nuclear weapon.”
The White House did not make the letter public, and Trump did not clarify whether he was considering direct U.S. military action as a response to the threat posed by a nuclear-capable Iran—an issue that has been a challenge for numerous administrations.
“There’ll be some interesting days ahead, that’s all I can tell you. We’re down to final strokes with Iran,” he noted.
Later in his remarks, Trump expressed his desire for peace with Iran, stating, “Hopefully we can have a peace deal. I’m not speaking out of strength or weakness, I’m just saying I’d rather have a peace deal than the other, but the other will solve the problem."
He discussed this letter, marking the first official engagement of his new administration with Iranian leaders, during an earlier interview on Fox News.
In response, Iranian officials dismissed the new approach. Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi declared that negotiations would not resume until the U.S. rollback its “maximum pressure” sanctions policy.
During his first term, Trump’s administration withdrew from the nuclear deal established under President Obama, which had required Iran to restrict its civilian nuclear enrichment program in exchange for sanctions relief. Just last month, the president signed a memorandum reinstating this pressure campaign.
Currently, Iran is ramping up its uranium enrichment towards weapons-grade levels. Rafael Mariano Grossi, the director of the International Atomic Energy Agency, has cautioned that Iran is alarmingly close to achieving nuclear armament, indicating that the country possesses enough enriched uranium at a near weapons-grade level to potentially fuel multiple nuclear weapons.
This week's public interactions come amid heightened tensions between the two nations, especially after U.S. prosecutors alleged last fall that the Iranian regime had ordered an operative to assassinate Trump in the lead-up to the 2024 election, a claim that Iran has consistently denied.
James del Carmen for TROIB News
