Trump Pushes for “Total Dismantlement” of Iran’s Nuclear Program

by Emmitt Barry, Worthy News Correspondent

(Worthy News) – U.S. President Donald Trump said Sunday that while he aims for the complete dismantling of Iran’s nuclear program, he is open to discussing a civilian nuclear energy deal, though he warned such programs can lead to military escalation.

“I think that I would be open to hearing it, you know?” Trump told Kristen Welker on NBC’s Meet the Press. “Civilian energy, it’s called. But you know, civilian energy often leads to military wars. And we don’t want to have them have a nuclear weapon. It’s a very simple deal.”

Trump emphasized that his bottom line remains unchanged: “Total dismantlement is all I would accept,” he said. “I just don’t want them to have a nuclear weapon because the world will be destroyed.”

The fourth round of U.S.-Iran nuclear talks, initially scheduled for Saturday, was postponed, fueling speculation that Tehran is slowing the process. Iranian officials say diplomacy remains their preferred course, but accuse the U.S. of sending mixed signals.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi reiterated Tehran’s stance that it retains a legal right to enrich uranium, stating on X, “As a founding signatory to the NPT [Non-Proliferation Treaty], Iran has every right to possess the full nuclear fuel cycle.”

Araghchi added, “There are several NPT members which enrich uranium while wholly rejecting nuclear weapons… This club includes several Asian, European, and South American nations.” He criticized what he called U.S. “maximalist” positions and warned that such demands would not succeed. “A credible and durable agreement is within reach. All it takes is firm political will and a fair attitude,” he said.

Iranian officials suspect the U.S. is less committed to a deal than it appeared last month. Tehran’s recent statements on uranium enrichment are seen as a red line, intended to establish legal justification for its demands and signal a potential withdrawal from talks if conditions are not met.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu weighed in Sunday, echoing Trump’s assertion that Iran is behind regional aggression. “President Trump is absolutely right! Attacks by the Houthis emanate from Iran,” Netanyahu wrote on X, after a Houthi missile struck near Ben Gurion International Airport. “Israel will respond to the Houthi attack against our main airport AND, at a time and place of our choosing, to their Iranian terror masters.”

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