The Trump administration is willing to consider a proposal that would allow Iran to have “symbolic“ nuclear enrichment, as long as it does not leave a path to building a bomb, a senior US official told Axios.
US officials say the requirements for Iran's future nuclear offer are too high. This is necessary to convince the many doubters both in the Trump administration and abroad.
“President Trump will be willing to accept a deal that is substantial and that he can sell politically domestically. If the Iranians want to prevent an attack, they have to make us an offer we can't refuse. The Iranians are continuing to squander their window of opportunity. If they play games, patience will not be unlimited“, said one official.
One scenario for Iran being considered by the US involves assassinating Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and his son Mojtaba, who is seen as a potential successor, a senior Trump adviser told Axios.
Tensions between the US and Iran have been high in recent months, but in February the two countries resumed talks on Iran's nuclear program. A round of US-Iranian talks concluded in Geneva on February 17.
Trump has previously said he is considering a limited strike on Iran to force Tehran to reach a deal. He also promised earlier that the world would find out what would happen to Iran within the next 10 days. The US president threatened that if Tehran did not reach a deal, “bad things will happen“.
CBS News reported that the US military was prepared to strike as early as Saturday, February 21. According to White House press secretary Caroline Levitt, there are “many reasons and arguments for striking Iran“, but Trump is choosing diplomacy above all. She recalled “Washington's very successful operation in June against Iran's nuclear facilities“ and warned that “it would be very wise“ for Tehran to reach a deal.