Levitt: Trump Will Never Allow the Islamic Republic to Access Nuclear Weapons

The White House spokesperson emphasized that the President of the United States will never allow the Islamic Republic to acquire nuclear weapons. Caroline Levitt, the White House spokesperson, in a press conference on Wednesday, February 13, responded to a question about why the U.S. President continues to seek a deal with the Iranian government despite the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic prohibiting negotiations with the U.S. She stated, "The U.S. President will never allow Tehran to obtain nuclear weapons. This is a red line he has drawn, and he will not let this happen." Levitt added, "But you asked why Mr. Trump wants to negotiate; I remind you that he is a master of the art of the deal. He is the commander of America's dealmakers. He pursues peace through strength. And I think, time and again, even currently, just in these four weeks, we have seen the President achieve successful deals through negotiation with both our partners and our enemies around the world." Donald Trump, the President of the United States, in an interview broadcast on Fox News on Monday, presented two options, "bomb or deal," to prevent the Islamic Republic from acquiring nuclear weapons. He said, "I would prefer a deal that does not harm them. I would like to reach an agreement with Iran without bombing." However, Ali Khamenei, the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic, in response to Trump's proposal for a peaceful and verifiable nuclear agreement, deemed negotiations with the U.S. as "futile" and stated, "No problem will be solved through negotiations with the U.S." In this context, Ilan Berman, Senior Vice President of the American Foreign Policy Council in Washington, in an interview with Voice of America, pointed out the return of the maximum pressure campaign led by the Trump administration against the Islamic Republic, emphasizing that Khamenei's refusal to negotiate with the United States will not help him or his government.