US, Iran To Hold 4th circular Of Talks As Trump Calls For “Total Dismantlement” Of atomic Program

Bloomberg and other sources have cited Iran’s Nournews to report the resumption of Iran-US nuclear talks set for Sunday (May 11), according to an unnamed officials.

This will be the fourth round of talks, scheduled to take place in Oman’s capital Muscat, amid fears that nuclear dialogue between Iran and the Trump administration was stalling.

The timing and location are interesting, given that Oman is in southern Arabia, and not too far away there is a war on in the Red Sea region, and Israel has ramped up airstrikes on Yemen, targeting Houthi leadership and infrastructure. Israel on Tuesday targeted the country’s civilian aviation hub – Sanaa international airport. This came after the Iran-backed Houthis launched a ballistic missile on Israel’s Ben Gurion airport in Tel Aviv.

Source: Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists

Both Israel and the US have put Iran on notice related to the Houthis, alleging that Houthi military decisions are ultimately made in Tehran, something which Iranian leaders have rejected.

President Trump meanwhile issued some fresh and provocative statements during a „Meet the Press” interview which aired Sunday.

He for the first time spelled out that negotiations with Iran are aimed at achieving „full dismantlement” of Tehran’s nuclear program.

„Total dismantlement. Yes, that is all I would accept,” Trump told show host Kristen Welker. Ever since Trump during his first administration pulled out of the JCPOA nuclear deal in April 2018, Iran has steadily increased its enriched uranium stockpiles.

The Islamic Republic has, however, consistently stressed it only seeks peaceful nuclear energy development for the needs of its large domestic populace.

„I want Iran to be really successful, really great, really fantastic. The only thing they can’t have is a nuclear weapon. If they want to be successful, that’s okay. I want them to be so successful,” Trump continued in his remarks.

„I just don’t want them to have a nuclear weapon because the world will be destroyed,” he added. US ally Israel has long warned it could preemptively attack Iran nuclear sites if it believes the Iranians are on the cusp of building a nuclear weapon.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio has recently left a diplomatic opening regarding nuclear energy. „There’s a pathway to a civil, peaceful nuclear program if they want one,” he recently said on the „Honestly with Bari Weiss” podcast.

Hawks in the US administration and the powerful Israeli lobby have urged Trump to get tougher on Iran, and to greenlight preemptive Israeli action. The Israelis understand that to make any real dent in Iran’s military and nuclear infrastructure, it would need American protection over Middle East skies.

So far, Trump has refused to sign on to starting a new major war in the Middle East, and he is holding out for achieving a fresh nuclear deal with Tehran – but there is a lot working against this – not least of which is the war in Yemen.