Trump administration open to civilian nuclear programme in Iran under proposed deal

The Trump administration said Friday it is prepared to accept a civilian nuclear energy programme in Iran as part of a broader nuclear agreement provided Tehran dismantles the infrastructure that could enable it to build a nuclear weaponThe clarification came as a senior administration official outlined details of a proposed USIran nuclear agreement that officials said could be signed within daysThe official drew a clear distinction between civilian nuclear power generation and nuclear weapons capability arguing that Washingtons objective is not to eliminate Irans nuclear energy sector but to prevent Tehran from retaining the capacity to produce a bombWere not bothered at all by the idea of civilian power plants in Iran the official saidInstead the concern is with the type of infrastructure that would allow them to jump from civilian power generation to nuclear weapons development the official saidThe remarks offer one of the clearest indications yet of how the administration intends to approach Irans nuclear future if a deal is reachedAccording to the official the proposed agreement would require Iran to remove highly enriched nuclear material dismantle elements of its nuclear weapons programme and accept inspections designed to verify longterm complianceAt the same time the administration appears willing to allow Iran to continue generating electricity through civilian nuclear facilities under strict monitoringThe official pointed to other countries in the region that operate civilian nuclear programmes without possessing the infrastructure needed for weapons developmentThe Emiratis have a civilian nuclear power programme the official said They generate a lot of electricity through nuclear power but they dont have the kind of infrastructure that would allow them to build a nuclear bombThat model the administration suggested could provide a framework for Iran if it fulfils its obligations under the proposed agreementThe official said one of the central objectives of the negotiations has been securing a commitment from Iran to permanently abandon efforts to acquire a nuclear weaponThey are committing indefinitely to never procure or develop nuclear weapons the official saidThe administration also says Iran has agreed in principle to destroy and remove enriched nuclear material from the country though implementation details would be worked out during a technical negotiation period expected to last about 60 days after the agreement is signedThe technical details need to be figured out the official said describing the material involved as very combustible and very volatileThe official repeatedly stressed that the agreement would rely on inspections and verification rather than trustWere happy with the commitment to not build a nuclear weapon We have to verify that the official saidUnder the proposed framework Tehran would not receive immediate sanctions relief or economic rewards simply for signing the agreementInstead economic benefits would be phased in as Iran demonstrates compliance with specific obligations including the dismantling of nuclear infrastructure and adherence to inspection requirementsThe more that the Iranians perform the more that they get the official saidAdministration officials argued that the approach would allow Washington to test Iranian compliance while preventing a repeat of past disputes over enforcementThe briefing also underscored continuing scepticism within the administration about Tehrans intentionsI dont think the Iranians trust us and I dont think the United States trusts the Iranians the official saidNevertheless officials expressed confidence that the agreement could create a framework capable of reducing tensions while ensuring that Iran remains permanently unable to produce a nuclear weaponThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever