ABU DHABI: U.S. President Donald Trump said Friday that Iran has an American proposal over its rapidly advancing nuclear program as negotiations between the two countries go on.
Trump's remarks represent the first time he's acknowledged an American proposal is with Tehran after multiple rounds of negotiations between U.S. Mideast envoy Steve Witkoff and Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi.
Negotiations have gotten into the “expert” level — meaning the two sides are trying to see if they can reach any agreement on the details of any possible deal. But one major sticking point remains Iran's enrichment of uranium, which Tehran insists it must be allowed to do and the Trump administration increasingly insists the Islamic Republic must give up.
Trump discusses proposal on Air Force One
Trump made the comment aboard Air Force One as he ended his trip to the United Arab Emirates, the last stop on his three-nation tour of the Middle East that also included Saudi Arabia and Qatar.
At nearly every event he attended in the region, he insisted that Iran could not be allowed to obtain a nuclear bomb — something American intelligence agencies assess Tehran is not actively pursuing though its program is on the cusp of being able to weaponize.
A reporter asked Trump: “On Iran, has the U.S. given them a formal proposal? Has Steve Witkoff handed that over?”
“They have a proposal,” Trump responded. “But most importantly, they know they have to move quickly, or something bad is going to happen.”
Trump did not elaborate on the substance of the proposal and Iran did not immediately acknowledge having it. On Thursday, Araghchi spoke to journalists at the Tehran International Book Fair and said that Iran did not have any proposal from the Americans yet.
Araghchi also criticized what he called conflicting and inconsistent statements from the Trump administration, describing them as either a sign of disarray in Washington or a calculated negotiation strategy. Witkoff at one point suggested that Iran could enrich uranium at 3.67%, then later began saying that all Iranian enrichment must stop.
“We are hearing many contradictory statements from the United States — from Washington, from the president, and from the new administration,” Araghchi said. “Sometimes we hear two or three different positions in a single day.”
Talks have been held in Oman and Rome
Iranian and American officials have been in Oman and Rome for the negotiations, always mediated by Oman's Foreign Minister Badr al-Busaidi, a trusted interlocutor between the two nations. The talks seek to limit Iran’s nuclear program in exchange for the lifting of some of the crushing economic sanctions the U.S. has imposed on the Islamic Republic, closing in on half a century of enmity.
Trump has repeatedly threatened to unleash airstrikes targeting Iran’s program if a deal isn’t reached. Iranian officials increasingly warn that they could pursue a nuclear weapon with their stockpile of uranium enriched to near weapons-grade levels. Meanwhile, Israel has threatened to strike Iran’s nuclear facilities on their own if it feels threatened, further complicating tensions in the Mideast already spiked by the Israel-Hamas war in the Gaza Strip.
Trump says Iran has a proposal from the US on its rapidly advancing nuclear program
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Trump says Iran has a proposal from the US on its rapidly advancing nuclear program
UPDATE 1-Trump expected to address potential easing of marijuana regulations on Thursday
- Trump considers executive order to reclassify marijuana
WASHINGTON: President Donald Trump is expected to address the potential loosening of federal regulations on marijuana on Thursday, according to a White House official, setting up a decision that could sharply reverse decades of US drug policy. Trump said on Monday that he was considering an executive order to reclassify marijuana as a less dangerous drug — a decision that could reshape the cannabis industry, ease criminal penalties and unlock billions in research funding. Such a shift would represent one of the most significant federal changes to marijuana policy in decades, reducing oversight to the level of common prescription drugs and potentially opening doors long closed to banks and investors.
The precise contents of Trump’s potential order were not immediately clear. While Trump “is currently expected to address marijuana rescheduling tomorrow, any details of this potential action until officially announced by the White House are speculation,” said the Trump administration official, who declined to be named. Under the US Controlled Substances Act, marijuana is listed as a Schedule I substance like heroin, ecstasy and peyote. That classification indicates it has a high potential for abuse and no currently accepted medical use. Local authorities often impose more lax regulations over weed, allowing medical or recreational use. Trump told reporters in the Oval Office on Monday that he was looking at pushing for weed to be reclassified under Schedule III, alongside Tylenol mixed with codeine, ketamine and testosterone. “We are looking at that very strongly,” he said at the time.
Initial reports that Trump might loosen restrictions on the psychoactive drug sent stocks of cannabis-related companies higher. They stand to benefit by making more cannabis products. “Rescheduling it would really open the floodgates to more and more smart conversation about the proper way to regulate and tax cannabis, would show that the federal government is real about getting to coming up with a solution so that these businesses can operate like every other business,” said Steve Levine, partner and co-leader of the law firm Husch Blackwell’s national cannabis practice. Funding remains one of the biggest challenges for cannabis producers, as federal restrictions keep most banks and institutional investors out of the sector, forcing pot producers to turn to costly loans or alternative lenders. The Biden administration previously asked the Department of Health and Human Services to review marijuana’s classification, and the agency recommended moving it to Schedule III classification. The Drug Enforcement Administration has to review the recommendation and will decide on the reclassification. “A potential reclassification in the US would be an important step toward normalizing cannabis policy, improving research, supporting patient care, and expanding access to regulated and safe channels for both consumers and patients,” said a spokesperson for Canopy Growth, a Canada-based cannabis firm.
