Trump wants ‘total dismantlement’ of Iran nuke program, might allow civilian energy
While US president first says he wants Tehran’s entire nuclear program fully done away with, he then tells interviewer that ‘the only thing they can’t have is a nuclear weapon’
US President Donald Trump said in an interview aired Sunday that the aim of his administration’s nuclear talks with Iran is to achieve “total dismantlement” of Tehran’s nuclear program, but that he is open to letting the Islamic Republic pursue civilian nuclear energy.
Trump made the comments in an interview conducted on Friday, which hit the air Sunday on NBC’s “Meet the Press” and covered a wide range of topics regarding the first few months of his second term in office.
In the interview, host Kristen Welker asked the president whether his demands in the negotiations with Tehran include the “total dismantlement of Iran’s nuclear program.”
“Total dismantlement. Yes, that is all I would accept,” Trump responded.
“Now there is a new theory out there that Iran would be allowed to have civilian [nuclear facilities], meaning to make electricity,” he said.
“I mean, they have so much oil that I am not sure why they would need it,” he added, clarifying that many oil-rich nations also possess nuclear energy programs.
“I think that I would be open to hearing it, you know?” Trump said about the possibility of allowing Iran to develop nuclear energy for non-military purposes.
“Civilian energy, it’s called. But you know, civilian energy often leads to military wars. And we don’t want to have them to have a nuclear weapon. It’s a very simple deal,” he added.
“The only thing they can’t have is a nuclear weapon,” he said. “Because the world will be destroyed.”
Trump’s comments followed a series of statements from administration officials about Washington’s demands in the talks, with Special Envoy Steve Witkoff, who has been leading the US team in the talks, saying last month that the administration was seeking a deal that would limit rather than destroy Iran’s nuclear program, clarifying later that any deal must “stop and eliminate its nuclear enrichment and weaponization program.”
Similarly, in a Thursday interview with Fox News, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio called on Iran to “walk away” from enrichment, saying that “the only countries in the world that enrich uranium are the ones that have nuclear weapons.”
Iran’s current enrichment of uranium to 60 percent purity is far above the 3.67-percent limit set in the 2015 deal with the United States and other world powers, but a short step from the 90 percent needed for weapons-grade material.
The stockpile remains a concern for Western powers.
The United States and other Western countries have long accused Iran of pursuing nuclear weapons — a claim Tehran denies, insisting that its atomic program is solely for civilian purposes.
Iran, which openly seeks Israel’s destruction, has ramped up its enrichment of uranium to 60 percent purity, which has no peaceful application, and has obstructed international inspectors from checking its nuclear facilities.
Iran and the United States have engaged in nuclear talks since April 12, their highest-level contact since Washington withdrew from a landmark deal with Tehran in 2018, during Donald Trump’s first term as US president.
Israel is reportedly deeply concerned that the US is closing in on a “bad deal” with Iran that will not meet Jerusalem’s stated essential conditions, that Israel believes the negotiations are “very, very advanced,” and that the US is not sharing enough information with Israel on key specific issues.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has long insisted that Israel will not allow Iran to possess nuclear weapons, and has been vocally opposed to any talks that don’t lead Iran to agree to a “Libya-style agreement,” under which Tehran’s entire nuclear program, both military and civilian, would be dismantled completely.
A fourth round of talks between the US and Iran initially scheduled for Saturday, was postponed, mediator Oman said earlier this week, citing “logistical reasons.” A new date would be set “depending on the US approach,” a senior Iranian official told Reuters on Thursday.
The US said that the weekend meeting had never been confirmed, but that it expected the talks to take place soon.
New blasts reported in Iran
Also on Sunday, a series of explosions were reported in Iran, with videos circulating on social media of purported blasts and fires in the Iranian cities of Mashhad and Qom.
Some of the reports said the blast in Mashhad occurred at a factory.
It is unclear what caused the explosions.
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Initial report on an explosion in the “Motorcycle factory” Tiz Pertuz in Mashhad, Iran. pic.twitter.com/DEiV7SsDgi— Voice From The East (@EasternVoices) May 4, 2025
These reported blasts came just a week after a massive explosion occurred at the Shahid Rajaee port near Bandar Abbas in southern Iran, which was reportedly caused by a chemical component needed for solid fuel for ballistic missiles — something denied by authorities though they’ve not explained the source of the power that caused such destruction.
Last week’s explosion killed at least 70 people and injured more than 1,000, authorities said.
While some in Iran, including a member of parliament, blamed Israel for the blast, the official Iranian position is that it was caused by “negligence,” not outside action.
As the negotiations between the US and Iran over Tehran’s nuclear program continue, Trump has repeatedly said that if they were to fail, he would be open to using military force alongside Israel to deal with the nuclear issue.
“And if we have to do something very harsh, we’ll do it,” he said last month, clarifying that he “of course” means the US would consider a potential strike on Iranian nuclear facilities.
On Sunday, Iran’s Defense Minister, Aziz Nasirzadeh, said that Tehran would not hesitate to strike back if the United States or Israel attack.
“If this war is initiated by the US or the Zionist regime [Israel], Iran will target their interests, bases and forces — wherever they may be and whenever deemed necessary,” Nasirzadeh told Iranian state TV.
The Times of Israel Community.