Trump says Iran dropped nuclear weapon plans

WASHINGTON

AA Photo

US President Donald Trump said on Oct. 3 Iran has virtually abandoned its drive to develop nuclear weapons because severe financial exhaustion and regional setbacks crippled Tehran's strategic leverage.

Speaking to reporters, Trump said Iranian authorities no longer possess the capability or ambition to produce an atomic bomb and are eager to negotiate a new settlement. "They have virtually given up any plans for nuclear weapons," he said.

Trump reiterated his position an Iranian nuclear weapon remains unacceptable, asserting earlier maximum pressure sanctions and subsequent economic isolation had drained Tehran's revenue before recent regional conflicts further weakened the government.

The remarks come as international observers continue to monitor Tehran's atomic program. The International Atomic Energy Agency reported earlier this year Iran had accumulated an enriched uranium stockpile with purity levels reaching 60 percent, just below the 90 percent threshold required for weapons-grade material.

Tehran has consistently maintained its atomic work remains exclusively civilian, focused on energy generation and medical research. The diplomatic dispute intensified in 2018 when the US unilaterally pulled out of the 2015 nuclear accord, formally known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, before reimposing sweeping banking and oil sanctions on the Islamic republic.