Trump Says Iran Accepted Zero Nuclear Weapons, but Experts Call Pledge Decades Old
Updated
Updated · The New York Times · Jun 7
Trump Says Iran Accepted Zero Nuclear Weapons, but Experts Call Pledge Decades Old
2 articles · Updated · The New York Times · Jun 7
Summary
Trump said again this week that Iran has already agreed not to have a nuclear weapon, calling it the “big thing” in stalled U.S.-Iran talks.
Nuclear experts said the pledge is neither new nor especially meaningful, arguing Tehran has long publicly denied seeking a bomb and offered similar assurances before.
The claim matters because Trump has framed preventing an Iranian nuclear weapon as the central reason for the Feb. 28 war and a core condition for any settlement.
A White House fact sheet lists 74 Trump statements since 2011 demanding Iran never obtain a nuclear weapon, underscoring that the reported concession mirrors a longstanding U.S. objective rather than a fresh breakthrough.