President Donald Trump said on Wednesday that Iran would not get sanctions relief in exchange for giving up their highly enriched uranium. His comments come as the United States and Iran try to strike a deal to end the conflict that has engulfed the Middle East for the last three months.
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“No, no, not at all. Not sanctions relief, no,” Trump told PBS News during a short phone call when asked if the current deal would mean that Iran would give up their highly enriched uranium in exchange for sanctions relief.
He added, “They’re gonna give up their highly enriched uranium not for sanctions, relief. No, no, not at all.”
During a weekend call with a number of Arab nations, including Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Egypt and others, Trump said that it should be mandatory for them to join the Abraham Accords. The accords are an agreement brokered toward the end of his first term in office that normalized relations between other Arab states and Israel. UAE, Bahrain, Morocco and Kazakhstan are the only countries that have signed on since 2020. In the past, Saudi Arabia has said it won’t join unless there are pledges for Palestinian statehood.
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When asked why the Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman should join the Abraham Accords if there is not a path to a Palestinian state, the president said, “Because it’s great for Saudi Arabia. It’s great for Saudi Arabia.”
On Monday, the president posted on his Truth Social account that the negotiations with Iran were “proceeding nicely!” Trump was due to meet with his Cabinet later Wednesday to discuss ongoing diplomatic efforts.