Donald Trump leaves door open for Iran’s civilian nuclear programme

Donald Trump. Pic/AFP

President Donald Trump on Wednesday signalled that the United States could accept a civilian nuclear programme in Iran under certain circumstances, offering one of his clearest indications yet of how Washington may approach the next phase of negotiations with Tehran.

At a press conference after the G7 summit in France, Trump reiterated that Iran would never be allowed to obtain a nuclear weapon but suggested there could be room for discussion on nuclear activities intended for civilian purposes.

Asked whether Iran could continue a civilian nuclear programme if it complied with the new agreement, Trump acknowledged the complexity of the issue.

"Well, I've said to them always, I say, look, you have probably the third largest oil reserves in the world, what the hell do you need nuclear for?" Trump said.

"You need nuclear for some electricity."

Trump said he has long questioned Tehran's argument that its nuclear programme is intended solely for civilian energy production because of the country's vast oil and gas reserves.

"So I've always felt that way, so we've been pretty tough on that," he said.

At the same time, the President appeared to recognise the challenge of denying Iran capabilities that other countries in the region possess.

"You know, it is a little hard though when you say that somebody wants it, other people have it, other adjoining states have it, and you're not letting them have it for purposes of electricity and things like that," Trump said.

"It's always a little tough. You have to use a little common sense."

The comments provide a glimpse into the issues likely to dominate negotiations on a final agreement between Washington and Tehran following the memorandum of understanding announced this week.

Under the framework disclosed by senior US officials, Iran has agreed that it "shall not procure or develop nuclear weapons" while both sides negotiate a comprehensive settlement within 60 days.

The memorandum between the US and Iran also calls for addressing Iran's enriched nuclear material and establishing verification measures under international supervision.

Senior US officials have stressed that preventing Iran from acquiring a nuclear weapon remains the administration's central objective.

One senior US official said the administration's goal is to secure the removal of enriched nuclear material, curb Iran's enrichment capabilities and establish a verification regime capable of detecting violations.

Trump also made clear that any future agreement would ultimately be backed by the threat of military force.

"If it's not permanent, we will bomb them," he said when asked how the agreement would prevent Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon.

"I don't think that they're going to veer from the agreement."

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