President Trump told the New York Times that negotiators are still debating whether Iran will suspend enrichment for 15 or 20 years, hinting he may accept 15. He said Iran would be permanently limited to low-level enrichment that could never serve military purposes, according to a report by Asaf Rozentzweig (N12).
President Trump refined his position on the Iran nuclear deal in a New York Times interview published early Monday, as reported by Asaf Rozentzweig (N12). While Trump previously told the Times on Sunday that a 15-20 year enrichment suspension was on the table for talks starting Friday in Switzerland, he now acknowledged that the precise duration remains under negotiation and signaled openness to the lower end of the range. He reiterated that any final deal would permanently bar Iran from enriching uranium above a very low, non-military threshold.
As The Zioneer reported earlier Monday (09:05 Jerusalem), Israeli critics have already condemned the very premise of allowing any enrichment on Iranian soil as a 'total surrender.' Trump's latest remarks — specifying a possible 15-year suspension — do not appear to address those concerns. The president has also set a 60-day deadline for a final accord, warning repeatedly that failure would lead to U.S. military strikes.
The new interview adds granularity to Trump's evolving public stance but leaves the core Israeli objection undisturbed: that any enrichment program, even nominally low-level, could mask military-grade work or provide a breakout capability. No official Iranian response to the 15-year framing has been reported.
7 developments
- StrongTrump tells NYT: Iran nuclear talks will begin Friday in Switzerland; 15-20 year enrichment suspension on table
- StrongTrump reportedly approves low-level uranium enrichment in Iran, drawing Israeli disappointment
- StrongTrump says Iran will halt fire on Israel for at least a week, warns of 'wipe out' if talks fail
- DevelopingTrump gives Iran 60-day deadline to reach nuclear deal
Source and signal
- Internal intake