A senior Trump administration official on Friday stated that Iran has committed to never develop or procure nuclear weapons under a proposed agreement, while sanctions relief would be linked to rigorous verification and inspections.
Regional Support for the Agreement
The official indicated that the agreement enjoys backing from regional partners, including Israel and Gulf countries. "We feel quite confident that all of our allies—the Israelis and the Gulf coalition—will get on board. Obviously, that doesn't mean they give up the right to self-defence, and if Iranians don't honor their end of the obligation, I wouldn't expect the Israelis to not respond."
Broad Consensus in Iran
According to the official, there is a "broad consensus" within Iran on the proposed deal. "We do also see broad consensus in the IRGC, among the hardliners, among the civilian leadership, that this is a good and acceptable deal. So we actually feel quite confident that there is consensus within the system. It doesn't mean there isn't some dissent, but we think that dissent is quite minimal."
Structure of the Agreement
The official explained that the agreement is structured so that Iran receives benefits only after fulfilling its commitments. "I do trust that we structured the deal in such a way where they don't get their benefits unless we get our benefits, and that's how we're going to walk down this pathway of a negotiated settlement."
Elimination of Enriched Material
Iran has committed to eliminating enriched nuclear material and decommissioning nuclear sites, although technical details remain under discussion. "We think that this is the first and most important step to really ensuring that the Iranians do not build a nuclear weapon."
Indefinite Commitment
The official emphasized that Tehran has committed indefinitely to not developing or procuring nuclear weapons, with benefits delivered only after verification measures are satisfied. "They are committing indefinitely to never procure or develop nuclear weapons. That is a significant concession, something the president cared a great deal about... We're happy with the commitment to not build a nuclear weapon, but we have to verify that, and that's why the deal is structured in the way that it is."
Technical Negotiation Period
A 60-day technical negotiation period has been envisioned and is "explicitly contemplated in the MOU." The official added, "If we see them honoring their end of the bargain, it's going to be very good for Iran, and if we see them not honoring their end of the bargain, then they're not going to get anything out of it."
Civilian Nuclear Program
The US seeks to prevent Iran from maintaining nuclear infrastructure that could enable weapons development, while not opposing a civilian nuclear energy programme. "We've accomplished through some combination of leverage and diplomacy is the commitment to get rid of their highly enriched material and a commitment to not build or buy a nuclear weapon indefinitely." The official noted that the UAE has a civilian nuclear power program without bomb-making infrastructure, and the US is not bothered by civilian power plants in Iran but by infrastructure that could allow weapons development.
"We feel quite confident that if they meet their obligations under this agreement, they're not going to have that infrastructure to build a nuclear weapon... We're ultimately going to see whether the Iranians care more about their economic prosperity than they do their nuclear weapons program."
