Washington, D.C.: US President Donald Trump has said that Iran has agreed not to acquire a nuclear weapon, expressing optimism ahead of fresh negotiations between American and Iranian officials scheduled to take place in Doha, Qatar.
Speaking from the Oval Office before signing a presidential memorandum aimed at expanding consumers’ right to repair their own vehicles, Trump said US officials were already traveling to Doha for Tuesday’s discussions.
“There’ll be a meeting on that tomorrow, in Doha… we’ll see how that goes,” Trump told reporters. “The meeting in Doha is going to be perhaps important, perhaps not. We’re going to find out.”
The President struck a confident tone regarding the ongoing diplomatic efforts, claiming the United States had gained a strategic advantage following recent military action targeting Iran’s nuclear programme.
“We’re winning militarily. It’s almost won militarily, I would say,” Trump said, while reiterating that Washington’s primary objective remains preventing Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons.
“It’s really very simple; it’s the denuclearization of Iran. We don’t want them to have a nuclear weapon, and they’re not going to have a nuclear weapon, and they’ve agreed to that, in all fairness,” Trump stated.
However, Trump did not provide further details about the reported agreement with Iran or explain the specific agenda for the upcoming Doha negotiations.
The President also linked recent developments with falling global oil prices, saying crude oil had declined following progress on Iran’s nuclear issue.
“Oil prices are way down. We hit $69 today. It was higher than that prior to the denuclearization of Iran,” he said.
Earlier, Trump signed a presidential memorandum directing the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to promote consumers’ ability to repair their own vehicles while increasing competition in the aftermarket automobile parts industry.
EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin said the memorandum would protect Americans’ “freedom to fix” their vehicles, prevent regulatory action against consumers carrying out repairs, and end what he described as California’s monopoly over third-party certification of aftermarket automotive parts.
Although the White House event initially focused on domestic policy, the session quickly shifted to foreign affairs as reporters questioned Trump on Iran before raising issues related to election laws, Supreme Court rulings, and immigration.
The Doha talks are expected to be closely watched as the United States continues diplomatic efforts aimed at preventing Iran from developing nuclear weapons while maintaining pressure through economic and military measures.
