Trump Makes Clear What He Wants From Iran

On Tuesday, President Trump signed an executive order that restored his maximum pressure campaign on Iran—and said that he's given his advisers instructions to obliterate the country if it assassinates him. On Wednesday, he indicated he wants to make a deal with the country. The latest:

• In a Wednesday Truth Social post, Trump wrote, "I want Iran to be a great and successful Country, but one that cannot have a Nuclear Weapon." As for how to achieve that, he shot down reports that the US and Israel are working together "to blow Iran into smithereens." "I would much prefer a Verified Nuclear Peace Agreement, which will let Iran peacefully grow and prosper," his post continued. "We should start working on it immediately, and have a big Middle East Celebration when it is signed and completed. God Bless the Middle East!"

• NBC News reports Trump told reporters on Tuesday that signing the order brought him displeasure, and that his hope was that "it's not going to have to be used in any great measure at all." The memo instructs the secretaries of State and Treasury to put a plan in place to bring Iran's oil sales down to zero. "We don't want to be tough on Iran, we don't want to be tough on anybody, but they just can't have a nuclear weapon," Trump said in the Oval Office.
• The Times of Israel shares Iran's response to the restarted maximum-pressure campaign, with Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi saying Wednesday it will end in "failure," as it did during Trump's first term: "I believe that maximum pressure is a failed experiment and trying it again will turn into another failure." He insisted Iran isn't actively seeking nuclear weapons.
• The AP reports Iranian officials appear to be signaling they want to speak with Trump. But "factions within Iran's theocracy are still likely to oppose talks, whether out of their own self-interest or over anger that Trump ordered the 2020 drone strike that killed Gen. Qassem Soleimani," which triggered calls for Trump's assassination.

• All these developments follow Monday's report from the New York Times that current US intelligence indicates a covert team of Iranian scientists is chasing down the possibility that there may be a "faster, if cruder" way to develop an atomic weapon should Iran's leaders decide they want one.
• A lengthy post at War on the Rocks starts with the thesis: "Donald Trump is likely the last president that will get a chance to stop Iran from building a nuclear arsenal. Will he succeed?" It outlines ways in which such a success could be possible, writing that "on the diplomatic front, Trump can swiftly authorize direct talks with the Iranians to convey an offer for an immediate, risk-reduction-focused arrangement to provide space for further talks. He can and should underscore that this is a time-limited opportunity." But he'll also need to swiftly come to a "mutual understanding" with China over the Iranian oil it buys, recognizing China won't pare down or end its purchases "for free." Read the piece in full here.

(More Iran stories.)