U.S. President Donald Trump on the 20th (local time) claimed that the nuclear deal with Iran currently being pursued by the United States would be far better than the previous agreement, which was reached in 2015 under former President Barack Obama and then scrapped by Trump.
Trump said on his social media Truth Social that "the deal we are pursuing with Iran will be far better than the so-called Comprehensive Joint Plan of Action that Barack Hussein Obama and 'Sleepy' Joe Biden signed, known as the 'Iran nuclear deal.'"
The JCPOA is a nuclear agreement concluded in 2015 during President Obama's term. Under it, about 11 tons of Iran's up-to-20% enriched uranium were shipped to Russia, and Iran's stockpile of enriched uranium was capped at 300 kilograms at the 3.67% level for 15 years.
However, President Trump withdrew from the JCPOA in 2018 during his first term, and although the Joe Biden administration held indirect talks with Iran afterward, it failed to produce notable results.
Trump called the accord "one of the worst deals ever as it relates to our national security," and argued, "Had I not terminated that deal, nuclear weapons would have been used across the Middle East, including against Israeli targets and U.S. military bases we care about."
The remarks suggest the United States is pushing a new agreement based on tougher terms than the JCPOA and are seen as signaling an aim for a "hard-line deal" that would compel Iran to permanently and comprehensively forgo possessing nuclear material and the right to enrich uranium.
In another Truth Social post, Trump said, "I will not let them make the United States rush into a deal that is not on the best terms," adding, "Time is not my enemy." This is interpreted as making clear he will not hurry into a "bad deal" merely for a quick conclusion.