Trump allows Iran to keep civilian nuclear plants in bid to end war

Donald Trump has agreed to a major concession to end the war in Iran: allowing the Islamic Republic to retain some of its civilian nuclear program. ‘Now, on the civilian nuclear program, I think that we have to be very careful and very precise here,’ a senior White House official discussing the pending memorandum of understanding between the US and Iran told reporters on a call Friday afternoon. ‘We’re not bothered at all by the idea of civilian power plants in Iran; what we’re bothered by is the type of infrastructure that would allow them to jump from civilian power generation to nuclear weapons development.’ The official pointed to how the United Arab Emirates has a civilian nuclear power program that could not be turned into a bomb-making operation. The revelation indicates that the Trump administration has given Iran the green light to hold onto its civilian nuclear power plants as long as those sites cannot be used to create a nuclear weapon.

What safeguards would be put in place to prevent Iran from scaling up its nuclear power plants to bomb-making facilities is unclear, but any steps taken by the Islamic Republic to make a nuclear weapon would derail any potential deal. Trump has long stressed that any end to the war would be predicated on Iran giving up its nuclear capabilities, particularly its uranium enrichment labs that US intelligence claims can make weapons-grade fuel. The MOU mandates that Iran’s current stockpile of nuclear material be destroyed on-site and then taken out of the country. Trump has said that only the US and China can dig up the deeply buried fissile material.

Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said on Friday that the ‘final text’ of a peace deal between the US and Iran ‘has been reached.’ ‘Peace has never been this close as it is now,’ he added. The official also said the deal would reopen the Strait of Hormuz and end the current US blockade targeting Iranian vessels. They shared that they were 80 – 85 percent sure that the deal would be signed, and reports indicate that a signing ceremony is planned for Sunday in Geneva.

Many of the hardliners in the Iranian regime are on board with the proposed MOU, the senior White House official stated. But what does the Islamic Republic get in return from the US? ‘They do get reintegrated into the world economy, they’re going to be rewarded for acting like a normal country rather than the largest state sponsor of terrorism,’ the official said. ‘That said, those benefits only accrue if Iran delivers.’ The call to clarify exactly what is in the MOU came after the President fumed at Iranian officials for leaking the terms, saying what they put out is not the official stance of US negotiators.

‘The terms that Iran leaked out to the Fake News have nothing to do with the terms that were agreed to, in writing,’ Trump wrote on Friday morning. ‘What they said, including their weak and pathetic statement on having a deal, bears no relation to the truth.’ ‘Very dishonorable people to deal with. With them, there is no such thing as dealing in good faith.’ The administration has said on countless occasions over the past months that a deal was close at hand. But this time, there may be more traction as Vice President JD Vance is expected to sign a deal in Europe as soon as this weekend.

Four US Air Force C-17 transport planes flew to Europe on Thursday, carrying equipment for a possible VP trip to Geneva, where a signing ceremony is planned in the coming days, Axios reports. The MOU between the US and Iran to halt the war could be signed as soon as Sunday, a source told Reuters, the same day as Trump’s birthday. ‘We just made a great settlement of the war with Iran,’ Trump told reporters on Thursday. ‘ The documents are in pretty final shape, so well see. It should be done over the next few days. Well probably have a signing, maybe in Europe, and its a great thing.’