Donald Trump makes one hour ‘nuclear weapon’ warning as ‘endaring the world’ threat made

US President Donald Trump has claimed Iran will never possess a nuclear weapon, warning that if they did, Tehran would have used it within just one hour – as the US and Iran work towards a long-term peace deal

US President Donald Trump has asserted that Iran will never acquire a nuclear weapon – and if they did, it would take them merely an hour to utilise it. The US and Iran found themselves embroiled in a conflict that unsettled global markets, impacted air travel and caused extensive disruptions across the Middle East following joint US-Israeli attacks on several key Iranian sites on 28 February.

As per reports from Al Jazeera, Trump’s remarks come as negotiations between Israel and Lebanon continue, with Washington still facilitating the talks.

Al Jazeera quotes Trump saying: “We had to act against Iran because its possession of a nuclear weapon means the demise of Israel and the Middle East and endangering the world.

“Iran will not possess nuclear weapons and has agreed to that 100%.”, reports the Express.

“If Iran had a nuclear weapon, they would have used it within the first hour, and we will not allow that to happen.”

Following months of conflict, the US and Iran reached a peace agreement that would see the crucial Strait of Hormuz reopen and the assurance that Iran will dispose of its enriched uranium reserves which could be used to develop nuclear weapons.

On 17 June, the US and Iran signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to end the war within 60 days.

Washington and Tehran are now striving to secure a long-term peace deal to conclude the war, restore global shipping in the vital Strait of Hormuz and aim to resolve an ongoing dispute over Tehran’s nuclear programme.

Many reckon the agreement demonstrates substantial US concessions to Iran, including allowing it to retain its ballistic missiles, but the US has succeeded in thwarting the development of an Iranian nuclear weapon.

The main aspects of the deal are as follows:

1. Iran and the US agree to an immediate and permanent end to the war on all fronts as soon as the MoU was signed
2. Iran and the US will respect each other’s sovereignty and territorial integrity and to refrain from interfering in each other’s internal affairs
3. Iran and the US will negotiate and reach a final agreement within a maximum period of 60 days, extendable by mutual consent
4. The US will lift the naval blockade against Iran and restore traffic within a maximum of 30 days to its full capacity as soon as the MoU was signed
5. Iran will ensure that the movement of merchant ships from the Persian Gulf to the Sea of Oman and vice versa is resumed within 30 days to the pre-war volume
6. The US, together with its regional partners, will create a plan agreed upon by both parties for the rehabilitation and economic development of Iran
7. The US will end all types of sanctions against Iran
8. Iran will never produce nuclear weapons
9. Iran and the US will, pending a final agreement, maintain the status quo
10. The US will immediately after the signing of the MoU, and until the date of the lifting of sanctions, issue waivers for exports of Iranian crude oil, petrochemical products, their derivatives and all related services
11. The US will release and make fully available frozen or restricted funds and assets of Iran in light of the progress of negotiations
12. Iran and the US will have an implementation mechanism to oversee the successful implementation of, and future commitment to, the Final Agreement
13. Iran and the US will enter into negotiations for a Final Agreement
14. The final agreement will be approved through a binding resolution of the UN Security Council