‘Forget the concept of nuclear weapons or else’: Trump warns Iran amid nuclear talks  | World News

As Iran and the United States move closer to a possible new nuclear agreement, US President Donald Trump has warned Tehran in strong terms, telling it to abandon the idea of developing nuclear weapons or face military consequences.
“Iran has to get rid of the concept of a nuclear weapon. They cannot have a nuclear weapon,” Trump said, as quoted the Associated Press (AP), following a meeting between US special envoy Steve Witkoff and a senior Iranian official in Oman.
Trump suggested that Iran may be stalling the negotiations, saying, “I think they’re tapping us along.” He further warned that a military response was on the table. “Of course it does,” he said, when asked if that included strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities. “They’re fairly close” to building a nuclear weapon, he added.
Story continues below this ad

Iran, on its part, has repeatedly denied seeking nuclear weapons, maintaining that its programme is for peaceful purposes.
Despite the sharp warnings, both Iran and the US described Saturday’s meeting in Oman as “positive” and “constructive.” A second round of talks is scheduled to take place in Rome this coming Saturday. Reuters reported that the negotiations aim to explore a possible framework for a new nuclear deal.
Iranian Foreign Miner Abbas Araghchi is also expected to visit Russia—an ally and party to the 2015 nuclear deal—for consultations. China has also been engaging with Tehran over its nuclear programme in recent weeks.

Under former President Joe Biden, indirect talks between Iran and the US yielded little progress. The last known direct talks were held during President Barack Obama’s tenure, which led to the 2015 nuclear agreement—a deal that Trump later withdrew from in 2018. Iran initially remained in compliance but began scaling back after a year.Story continues below this ad
Since his return to office in January, Trump has taken a tougher stance on Iran. In March, he sent a letter to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, urging Tehran to resume nuclear talks and warning of military consequences if it refused, AP reported.
The US and other Western countries have long suspected Iran of aiming to build nuclear weapons. Tehran has strongly denied these claims.