President Donald Trump blamed former President Joe Biden for the U.S.’s current Iran woes – and denied that the new Iran nuclear deal would allow for uranium enrichment.
On Monday, Axios reported that the ‘secret’ nuclear deal proposed Saturday by the United States would allow Iran to enrich low levels of uranium for a period of time that was yet to be determined.
The White House didn’t immediately contest those details, which run counter to public statements from White House envoy Steve Witkoff and Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
‘The AUTOPEN should have stopped Iran a long time ago from “enriching,”‘ Trump chimed in Monday evening. ‘Under our potential Agreement – WE WILL NOT ALLOW ANY ENRICHMENT OF URANIUM!’
The president has nicknamed 82-year-old Biden ‘autopen,’ using it as a way to disparage the Democrat for allegedly being asleep at the wheel – and allowing aides to sign documents for him.
Not much progress was made with Iran during Biden’s four years in office, after Trump pulled out of the Obama-era nuclear deal in 2018.
The Biden administration initially tried to revive the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, the Obama deal, but it was later declared ‘dead.’
In the meantime there were warnings about Iranian assassination plots against Trump and other key Trump 1.0 administration figures over the U.S.’s 2020 targeted strike in Iraq that killed Iranian Gen. Qasem Soleimani.
President Donald Trump denied an Axios report that said the current Iran nuclear deal allows for some low levels of uranium enrichment from the advisory
On Monday night, President Donald Trump again went after former President Joe Biden, calling the 82-year-old ‘autopen,’ while blaming the Democrat for the U.S.’s Iran woes
Now the U.S. is once engaged in Iran nuclear talks, this time with Witkoff at the helm.
Axios reported that the proposal Witkoff submitted on Saturday included ‘preliminary ideas’ that would be discussed in the next round of talks.
Under the proposal, Iran would be barred from building new enrichment facilities and would have to ‘dismantle critical infrastructure for conversion and processing of uranium.’
It also stated that Iran would have to halt new research and development of centrifuges.
At the same time, it would allow for some domestic enrichment, though not beyond those necessary for civilian purposes.
Upon signing the agreement, Iran would have to temporarily reduce its enrichment concentration to 3 percent, sources told Axios.
Iran’s underground nuclear facilities would have to become ‘non-operational’ for a period of time that was agreed to by the parties.
The country’s above-ground facilities would be limited to to the level needed to make nuclear reactor fuel using International Atomic Energy Agency guidelines.
Sanctions relief would follow if Iran ‘demonstrates real commitment’ to the satifaction of the U.S. and the IAEA.
And overall the nuclear deal would focus on creating a regional enrichment consortium.
Those terms would make it easier for the U.S. to strike a deal.
But they would likely irritate Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who has called on the U.S. to only strike a deal with Iran under the strictest terms.
‘President Trump has made it clear that Iran can never obtain a nuclear bomb,’ White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told Axios in a statement.
‘Special Envoy Witkoff has sent a detailed and acceptable proposal to the Iranian regime, and it’s in their best interest to accept it,’ she said. ‘Out of respect for the ongoing deal, the Administration will not comment on details of the proposal to the media.’
When asked for comment on the Axios story, a White House official told the Daily Mail that the deal was ‘tough’ and it would prevent Iran from getting the bomb.
‘President Trump is speaking the cold, hard truth,’ the official said via email. ‘The terms we gave Iran were very tough and would make it impossible for them to ever obtain a nuclear bomb.’