US President Donald Trump has claimed that Iran has assured the United States it will neither develop nuclear weapons nor acquire an atomic bomb.
The US president also said Washington and Tehran were very close to reaching an agreement. He added that if a satisfactory deal was not secured with Iran, another military operation might be required. Trump said the United States was obtaining what it wanted from Iran and was in no rush, warning that haste would not produce a good agreement. He maintained that all the cards were in America's hands.
Trump had announced on Friday that the Strait of Hormuz would be opened, but later said it would be reopened once the agreement was signed. He said Iran was currently in a very weak position and claimed that its military, navy and air force had been largely neutralised.
Speaking in an interview with a US news channel, Trump said he preferred an agreement over conflict, adding that the Strait of Hormuz could be reopened immediately after any settlement was reached.
He said Iranian negotiators were maintaining a very firm position and that the talks were taking time. However, he said Washington was seeking lasting results rather than a rushed outcome. Trump said the United States had targeted Iran's military leadership and other key objectives, but had refrained from completely destroying the Iranian armed forces.
Trump has said that the lessons from previous wars showed that dismantling an entire state's structure could lead to long-term instability. Referring to past experiences in Iraq, he said a different strategy had been adopted this time in an effort to support future regional stability.
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