WASHINGTON: President Donald Trump said on Monday he believed a nuclear deal the U.S. is currently negotiating with Iran will be better than a 2015 international agreement to curb Tehran’s nuclear program.
“The DEAL that we are making with Iran will be FAR BETTER than the JCPOA, commonly referred to as ‘The Iran Nuclear Deal’,” Trump wrote in a social media post after concerns expressed by Democrats and some nuclear experts that he is rushing negotiations on a highly complex topic.
During his first White House term, Trump in 2018 withdrew from the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action agreed to by Iran, the United States and world powers, calling it “the worst deal ever.”
The United States and Israel began attacking Iran more than seven weeks ago in a conflict that Trump has said aims to prevent Iran from getting a nuclear weapon.
With a two-week ceasefire set to expire in the coming days, prospects for a second round of talks between the U.S. and Iran in Pakistan were not clear.
“I am under no pressure whatsoever, although, it will all happen, relatively quickly!” Trump added in a Truth Social post.
It is currently unclear what kind of deal could be credibly agreed to by the United States and Iran in a short amount of time. The 2015 agreement, which also involved France, Germany, China, Britain and Russia, took two years to negotiate and involved some 200 specialists spanning nuclear physics, sanctions, finance and law.
Iran War — Latest News & Updates
Earlier, President Donald Trump said that Israel did not persuade him to attack Iran, after news reports that Israeli leader Benjamin Netanyahu influenced the U.S. president’s decision and criticism from right-wing commentators.
“Israel never talked me into the war with Iran, the results of Oct. 7th, added to my lifelong opinion that IRAN CAN NEVER HAVE A NUCLEAR WEAPON, did,” Trump wrote in a Truth Social post.
Trump also said “the results in Iran will be amazing” in the post, which came as the United States prepared to resume negotiations in Pakistan although Iran was undecided.
“And if Iran’s new leaders (Regime Change!) are smart, Iran can have a great and prosperous future!” Trump wrote.