The president who has repeatedly changed his messaging on his end game in Iran – veering from narrow nuclear issues to wider regime change – highlighted one of his consistent demands in his speech: “We haven’t heard from them those secret words: ‘We do not want nuclear weapons ever’.”
Yet, just hours earlier, Iran’s foreign minister and top nuclear negotiator, Abbas Araghchi, reiterated on X almost that exact phrase: “Iran will under no circumstances ever develop a nuclear weapon.”
It’s the convincing proof, to allay suspicion that Tehran has been moving in that direction, that is a key issue in the ongoing talks mediated by the Gulf state of Oman.
Iran has indicated it is ready to compromise on its nuclear programme in exchange for the lifting of the sanctions crippling its economy.
It was spiralling prices and a collapsing currency that sparked a wave of unrest in January put down with immense force.
The US-based Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA) has put its confirmed death toll at more than 7,000, including 6,488 protesters, and is still investigating reports of thousands more deaths. The Iranian government insists that figure is around 3,100.
In his speech, Trump said it appeared the authorities had “killed at least, it looks like, 32,000 protesters”.
Iran’s foreign ministry spokesperson Esmail Baqai immediately denounced the president’s remarks on the death toll as “big lies”.