Iran has agreed it will “never ever” pursue nuclear weapons, according to Oman’s top diplomat, who says a U.S.-Iran deal is now “within our reach.”
According to a report in CBS News, Omani Foreign Minister Badr Albusaidi said that negotiators have made “substantial progress” toward curbing Iran’s nuclear program.
“A peace deal is within our reach,” Albusaidi said. He called it a “big achievement” that Iran pledged to “never, ever have … nuclear material that will create a bomb,” CBS News reported Friday.
Under the framework being discussed, Iran’s existing enriched uranium stockpiles would be “blended to the lowest level possible” and “converted into fuel, and that fuel will be irreversible,” he said.
“There would be zero accumulation, zero stockpiling, and full verification,” Albusaidi added, noting Iran is prepared to grant inspectors from the U.N.'s International Atomic Energy Agency "full access" to nuclear sites.
Asked whether enough progress has been made to avert potential U.S. strikes, Albusaidi told CBS News, “I hope so,” but cautioned, “we need a little bit more time.”
Meanwhile, President Donald Trump told reporters Friday he was “not happy” with the pace of negotiations.
“I'm not happy with the fact that they're not willing to give us what we have to have,” Trump said. “I'm not thrilled with that. We'll see what happens. We're talking later.”
