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For decades, a simmering tension has characterized the relationship between Tehran and Washington, but recent events have seen these tensions escalate dramatically.
In a bold move last June, the Trump administration executed airstrikes aimed at dismantling Iran’s nuclear program, coinciding with the intense 12-day conflict between Israel and Iran.
At that time, President Trump asserted that Iran’s nuclear capabilities had been significantly impaired or possibly eradicated.
Yet, despite these claims, the narrative from both the US and Israeli governments has shifted. They now suggest Iran remains perilously close to producing weapons-grade uranium, a situation that has led to mediated discussions between Washington and Iran, facilitated by Oman.
President Trump, speaking to reporters as he departed the White House on Friday, expressed his dissatisfaction by stating, “I’m not happy with the fact that they’re not willing to give us what we have to have. I’m not thrilled with that. We’ll see what happens. We’re talking later.”
“We’re not exactly happy with the way they’re negotiating. They cannot have nuclear weapons.”
Iran has persistently said it does not seek nuclear weapons but international observers have said it has previously enriched uranium that is a “step” away from weapons-grade material.
Iran and Israel have been long-time foes, but Israel has managed to successfully devastate the Tehran regime’s terrorist proxies in Hamas and Hezbollah after the October 7 attacks in 2023.
Last year’s 12-day war kicked off when Israel launched surprise strikes against Iranian military and nuclear sites, but were unable to damage some of the deepest-buried facilities, that the US was later able to damage.
US participation in those attacks came as a surprise to the international community, just as these new ones have.
During a recent visit by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to the White House, sources claimed Trump pushed back against the idea of conflict, saying he wanted the talks to continue.
But in a speech after the strikes today, Trump said Iran “rejected every opportunity to renounce their nuclear ambitions, and we can’t take it anymore”.
The regime of the ayatollahs, which typically refers to the US as the “Great Satan”, took control of Iran in 1979 after the Islamic Revolution.
That revolution overthrew the monarchic Pahlavi dynasty, which had been backed by the US and UK, and established Iran as a nation governed as a theocratic Islamic republic.
With Associated Press.
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