President Donald Trump voiced growing skepticism earlier this week about the likelihood of reaching a nuclear agreement with Iran, stating in an exclusive interview with the New York Post’s Miranda Devine on her podcast ‘Pod Force One,’ that he has grown “much less confident” than before that a deal can be achieved to halt Iran’s nuclear program.
During the interview, Trump was asked whether he believed Iran would agree to shut down its nuclear program. “I don’t know,” he replied. “I did think so, and I’m getting more and more—less confident about it.” The President attributed his declining confidence to what he described as Iranian delays in the negotiation process, noting that “they seem to be delaying, and I think that’s a shame, but I’m less confident now than I would have been a couple of months ago. Something happened to them, but I am much less confident of a deal being made.”
This shift in tone comes as both Republican and Democratic lawmakers in Congress have urged the Trump administration to reject any agreement that allows Iran to continue enriching uranium. In a recent bipartisan letter, lawmakers emphasized that Iran should not retain any capacity to enrich uranium or advance its nuclear weapons infrastructure, highlighting widespread support in Congress for these restrictions.
Despite these calls, the Trump administration has sent mixed signals on the issue. While officials have publicly demanded the complete dismantling of Iran’s nuclear infrastructure, recent reports suggest that the latest U.S. proposal might permit Iran to engage in limited, low-level uranium enrichment for an unspecified period.
Trump reiterated that, regardless of whether an agreement is reached, Iran would not be permitted to develop a nuclear weapon. “If they don’t make a deal, they’re not going to have a nuclear weapon,” Trump said. “If they do make a deal, they’re not going to have a nuclear weapon, too, you know? But they’re not going [to] have a new nuclear weapon, so it’s not going to matter from that standpoint.”
Trump added that he would prefer a diplomatic solution over military conflict. “It would be nicer to do it without warfare, without people dying, it’s so much nicer to do it. But I don’t think I see the same level of enthusiasm for them to make a deal. I think they would make a mistake, but we’ll see. I guess time will tell.”
Trump’s remarks come ahead of a new round of nuclear talks between the United States and Iran, with negotiations reportedly stalled over the issue of uranium enrichment. The president’s comments reflect both the ongoing difficulties in the talks and the administration’s determination to prevent Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons, by diplomatic means if possible, but with the threat of military action remaining on the table.
This post originally appeared on TheHill.com
