Trump warns Netenyahu to stand down amid nuclear talks with Iran
As Israel continues to push for military action against Iran, US President Donald Trump has warned the Netanyahu administration to stand down, worried that the former’s belligerence may derail the negotiations.
After several rounds of nuclear talks, the US and Iran might be close to a breakthrough, according to Trump. On May 28, the US President told reporters in the White House that he had cautioned his ally that a strike against Iran “would be inappropriate to do right now because we’re very close to a solution,” reports Al Jazeera.
The negotiations aim to address growing international concerns over Iran’s nuclear capabilities. But five rounds in, issues over whether Iran should be able to enrich uranium for peaceful purposes remain contentious.
Until now, Iran has firmly held that enrichment for peaceful purposes is its international right, enshrined in the NPT. However, in a pivotal shift, sources close to the negotiating team have disclosed that a “political understanding with the United States could be reached soon” wherein Tehran would halt enrichment for a year.
In exchange, Washington must agree to release frozen Iranian funds and recognize its right to refine uranium for civilian use, two Iranian officials told Reuters.
The Israeli leader, wary of such diplomatic solutions, has repeatedly threatened to bomb Iran’s nuclear facilities. On May 20, news emerged that Israel was preparing, once again, to strike the Islamic Republic. Iran has said it will respond in kind, highlighting the hypocrisy of Israel’s undeclared nuclear arsenal, especially since Israel is not a signatory to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT).
While the US remains optimistic that a deal could be clinched in the next round, concerns about Israel derailing the process are high. When asked about whether he issued a warning to Netanyahu, Trump said: “Well, I’d like to be honest. Yes, I did…It’s not a warning – I said I don’t think it’s appropriate.”
“Right now, I think they want to make a deal. And if we can make a deal, I’d save a lot of lives,” Trump said.
In 2018, during his first term, Trump pulled out of the JCPOA, a previous Iranian nuclear deal pioneered by Trump’s predecessor Barack Obama. Now, Trump is attempting to revise the deal in his second term, favoring a more hardline approach.
The stakes are high– an Israeli strike could unravel weeks of tenuous diplomacy, risk triggering a wider regional conflict, and undermine one of Trump’s major foreign policy breakthroughs.
Al Jazeera/ Maghrebi
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