Washington: Senior Trump administration officials signalled that Washington could move quickly to reach a diplomatic agreement with Iran if a new government emerges in Tehran and abandons nuclear weapons ambitions, ballistic missile threats, and support for militant proxy groups.
In fact, the United States would be prepared to offer sanctions relief and economic engagement if a future Iranian leadership integrates into the regional security framework and complies with strict nuclear restrictions, according to two senior administration officials familiar with the current thinking of the Trump Administration.
“The door will be wide open if a new government comes in and says we’re ready to get along with everyone in the region and follow the simple criteria that most normal countries follow,” a Senior Trump Administration Official said. The two officials spoke on condition of anonymity.
The official said those conditions include ending support for proxy groups across the Middle East, halting missile threats against neighbouring states, and ensuring Iran’s nuclear programme remains strictly civilian.
“If a new government comes in and says we’re ready to get along with everyone in the region and follow the simple criteria that most normal countries follow, then the administration will be ready to engage and do a very quick deal,” the official said.
The remarks offered a glimpse of Washington’s thinking about the political future of Iran as tensions escalate following US military strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities.
Noting that the United States remains focused on preventing Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons while keeping open the possibility of diplomatic engagement if Tehran changes course, the official said any future agreement would require Iran to abandon uranium enrichment capable of producing weapons-grade material and accept verifiable restrictions monitored by international inspectors.
“We are working on what a sanctions relief package could be in the future if there is a framework agreed to with a new government that actually lives by all of those different standards,” said the official.
They said the United States had repeatedly offered Iran opportunities during negotiations to pursue a civilian nuclear programme with international oversight, but those efforts failed to produce an agreement acceptable to Washington.
During the talks, US negotiators also proposed providing nuclear fuel for civilian reactors if Iran agreed to stop domestic enrichment. The officials said the proposal was intended to test whether Iran’s nuclear programme was genuinely aimed at peaceful energy production rather than weapons capability.
They argued that Tehran’s refusal to accept the offer reinforced concerns that Iran wanted to preserve its enrichment capacity.
“They basically offered us a lot of political wins and some concessions, but they were unwilling to give up the building blocks of what they needed to preserve in order to get to a bomb,” the official said.
The briefing came as Washington continues military operations targeting Iranian nuclear infrastructure following what the administration described as intelligence indicating Tehran’s programme was nearing a dangerous threshold.
Iran has long maintained that its nuclear activities are for peaceful purposes, while Western governments have accused it of pursuing the capability to develop nuclear weapons.
(IANS)
