Iran Has Effectively Abandoned Nuclear Weapons Ambitions, Says Trump

WASHINGTON (International Desk): US President Donald Trump has said Iran has effectively abandoned any plan to develop nuclear weapons. The remark comes amid talk of possible new military strikes on Iran, as the war with Tehran enters its eighth month.
Speaking to reporters on Saturday as he left the White House for a rally in Ohio, Trump said Iran has “practically” given up any nuclear weapons plan. He also claimed oil prices are falling and are lower than during the Biden administration. Prices had stayed elevated for a long time after Israel and the US launched strikes on Iran on February 28. Trump criticized his predecessor, saying Biden did nothing to ensure Iran did not obtain nuclear weapons.
Iran has long denied US and Israeli accusations that it seeks nuclear arms. President Masoud Pezeshkian repeated that position last month during a visit to New York for the UN General Assembly, saying Tehran does not pursue such weapons because of a religious prohibition. He also offered to reduce Iran’s stockpile of enriched uranium under international verification. However, Iran maintains it will not compromise on its peaceful civilian nuclear program, nor make structural concessions until the US lifts economic sanctions.
Trump later travelled to Ohio, where his Republican Party faces a tight race for a US Senate seat as it tries to preserve its narrow congressional majority. With support for the Iran war declining and prices for gasoline and other essentials remaining high, several incumbent Republican senators across the country face serious political challenges.
Meanwhile, the US military has reportedly deployed two additional Patriot missile batteries to protect energy facilities in Saudi Arabia and Qatar, amid preparations for possible new strikes on Iran. One battery was sent last month to guard a key oil installation in Saudi Arabia, while the other was positioned to defend a natural gas facility in Qatar. The deployments were intended to reassure both countries that Washington will protect their critical energy infrastructure if major combat operations against Iran resume.