Two Senior U.S. Officials: Trump is Very Serious About Preventing Iran from Acquiring Nuclear Weapons

The White House National Security Advisor emphasized that Donald Trump is very serious about preventing Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons and that all options are on the table. The U.S. Secretary of State also stated that Iran continues to enrich uranium and support terrorism, and no contact has been made so far. The remarks by these two senior U.S. officials were made on Sunday, February 17, during interviews with two different media outlets. Michael Waltz, the White House National Security Advisor, told Fox News that Donald Trump is 'completely and very serious' that Iran can never have nuclear weapons. He stressed that 'we cannot allow Iran's finger on the trigger [of a nuclear weapon]' and stated he would not go into details, but Donald Trump has 'expressed his desire to take any necessary action, and all options are on the table.' The National Security Advisor also added that Mr. Trump is willing to talk to Iran 'if they are willing to completely abandon their [nuclear] program, and not the games we have seen from Iran before.' Donald Trump has repeatedly emphasized that he prefers to reach a verifiable nuclear agreement with Iran rather than resorting to military action. In an interview broadcast on February 11 on Fox News, referring to 'the extensive loss of Iran's air defense,' he said, 'There are two ways to stop them; bombing or a piece of paper.' The National Security Advisor stressed that Iran's acquisition of nuclear weapons would pose an 'existential threat' not only to Israel but to the entire world and could initiate a nuclear arms race in the Middle East. Mike Waltz also recalled that the Director-General of the International Atomic Energy Agency warned last year that Iran's nuclear program is 'only a few weeks, not months' away from developing a nuclear weapon. Rafael Grossi warned earlier this year that Iran is only 'a few weeks, not months' away from having enough enriched uranium to produce a nuclear bomb. However, Mr. Grossi emphasized that this does not mean Iran will achieve nuclear weapons in that timeframe. On Sunday, the U.S. Secretary of State also stated that no contact has been made with Iran and there are no signs that the Islamic Republic has decided 'not to pursue nuclear weapons and not to support terrorism.' Marco Rubio, who traveled to Israel, said in an interview with CBS in response to the question of whether any contact has been made with Iranian officials regarding negotiations on the nuclear agreement, 'We have had no contact from Iran and have seen nothing.' He also noted, 'In the past, we have seen that Iran's diplomatic efforts have only been about how to extend the timeline, but they continue to enrich uranium and, in addition, support terrorism, build long-range weapons, and create instability throughout the region.' The U.S. Secretary of State, in response to a question about Israel's preemptive strike on Iran's nuclear facilities, said Israel must act based on its national and defense interests, and he does not speak on their behalf. Mr. Rubio emphasized after meeting with the Israeli Prime Minister that both sides agreed that Iran is 'the biggest source of instability in the region' and 'Iran must not be allowed to acquire nuclear weapons.' Iran and six world powers reached a nuclear agreement known as the JCPOA in July 2015. Donald Trump heavily criticized this 'flawed agreement' during his previous presidency and eventually announced the U.S. withdrawal from the agreement in May 2018. In his interview last week with Fox News, he called that agreement 'a road to nuclear weapons' and emphasized that a new agreement must be able to monitor, inspect, and verify Iran's nuclear activities and ensure that it is 'no longer nuclear.' Iranian officials have always stated that they are not seeking to build nuclear weapons; however, they have recently spoken about the 'possibility of changing their nuclear doctrine.'