US Vice President JD Vance on Wednesday said that Iran can have civil nuclear power but not enrichment capabilities that can lead to atomic weapons.
Vance described U.S. talks with Iran as "so far, so good" at the Munich Leaders Meeting in Washington, and said that the talks on Iran’s nuclear program are heading in the right direction.
He added that a civilian nuclear power program is not a problem. “We don’t care if people want nuclear power. We’re fine with that, but you can’t have the kind of enrichment program that allows you to get to a nuclear weapon, and that’s where we draw the line,” Vance said.
The Americans and Iranians, enemies for four decades, began talks on the thorny Iranian nuclear issue on April 12, mediated by Oman.
US President Donald Trump has called for the "total dismantling" of Iran's nuclear program, but has expressed his willingness to discuss civilian nuclear activities with Iran.
Western countries and Israel, considered by experts to be the only nuclear power in the Middle East, suspect Iran of pursuing nuclear weapons.
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Tehran rejects these allegations and defends its right to nuclear power for civilian purposes, particularly for energy.
For the US vice president, a nuclear agreement would allow Iran to "reintegrate into the global economy."
"It would be a very good thing for the Iranian people, but there would no longer be any chance of Iran acquiring a nuclear weapon. That's what we're negotiating," he said.
More generally, Vance reiterated that President Trump "hates nuclear proliferation" and would be open to "sitting at the table with the Russians and the Chinese" to improve matters in this area.