In a post on his Truth Social platform on Wednesday, Trump said reports that the US and Israel were preparing to “blow Iran into smithereens” were “greatly exaggerated”.
“I would much prefer a Verified Nuclear Peace Agreement, which will let Iran peacefully grow and prosper. We should start working on it immediately, and have a big Middle East Celebration when it is signed and completed. God Bless the Middle East!”
In an executive order on Tuesday, Trump signalled a return to a “maximum pressure” sanctions policy to try to pressure Tehran to “end its nuclear threat”.
The order promised a “robust and continual campaign” by the US Treasury and other agencies to “drive Iran’s export of oil to zero, including exports of Iranian crude to the People’s Republic of China”.
Iranian Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araqchi has asserted that another round of deployment of the “maximum pressure” policy on the part of the United States against Iran will only lead to another defeat.
“The policy of maximum pressure has already proven to be a failure, and any attempt to revive it will only lead to another defeat,” the top diplomat told reporters on the sidelines of a cabinet meeting on Wednesday.
Araghchi added, “If the main issue is that Iran should not pursue nuclear weapons, this is achievable and not a difficult matter.”
“Iran’s stance is clear, and it is a member of the NPT (Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty), and there is also the fatwa (religious decree) of the Leader, which has clarified the matter for us,” he continued.
Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyed Ali Khamenei’s has prohibited pursuance, attainment, and storage of such non-conventional arms through an official decree as per religious and moral grounds.
“The Leader’s fatwa has made Iran’s position crystal clear,” the minister concluded.