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Trump: No talks with Iran, no sanctions relief planned

 

US President Donald Trump blasts Senate Democrat, denying claims US in talks with Iran or offering sanctions relief – after acknowledging he was working on possible removal of sanctions.

By David Rosenberg, World Israel News

US President Donald Trump on Monday denied claims that his administration is conducting negotiations with the Iranian government, days after he said he had dropped plans to offer sanctions relief to Tehran.

On Sunday, Senator Chris Coons, a Delaware Democrat who days earlier announced his support for a new War Powers Resolution to challenge Trump’s ability to carry out military action against Iran, spoke with the Fox News TV regarding the recent US airstrikes on Iranian nuclear facilities.

Expressing support for the damage to Iran’s uranium enrichment capabilities, Coons also voiced concern that Iran may have relocated its enriched uranium stockpile before the strikes.

Furthermore, Coons questioned the Trump administration’s post-war plans, and suggested that Trump was now pursuing talks in line with then-president Barack Obama’s efforts which culminated in the 2015 nuclear deal.

“President Trump, by press accounts, is now moving towards negotiations and offering Iran a deal that looks somewhat similar to the Iran deal that was offered by Obama – tens of billions of dollars of incentives and reduced sanctions in exchange for abandoning their nuclear program,” Coons said.

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Early on Monday morning, Trump fired back that the US is currently not in talks with Tehran, adding that no sanctions relief is on the table at this time.

“Tell phony Democrat Senator Chris Coons that I am not offering Iran ANYTHING, unlike Obama, who paid them $Billions under the stupid road to a Nuclear Weapon JCPOA (which would now be expired!), nor am I even talking to them since we totally OBLITERATED their Nuclear Facilities,” Trump wrote on his Truth Social account.

However, recent comments by the president suggested he was in fact pursuing talks with Iran, and was, until recently, considering offering some form of sanctions relief.

“During the last few days, I was working on the possible removal of sanctions, and other things, which would have given a much better chance to Iran at a full, fast, and complete recovery – The sanctions are BITING,” Trump wrote on Friday.

On Saturday, Trump again took to his Truth Social account, lamenting that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s corruption trial was interfering with “both Iran and Hamas negotiations.”

NBC News TV cited three sources who claimed that the administration was mulling pursuing a new nuclear deal with Iran, including $30 billion worth of sanctions relief and the unfreezing of assets.

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Trump denied the report, calling it “FAKE NEWS.”

“Who in the Fake News Media is the SleazeBag saying that ‘President Trump wants to give Iran $30 Billion to build non-military Nuclear facilities.’ Never heard of this ridiculous idea. It’s just another HOAX put out by the Fake News in order to demean. These people are SICK!!!”