Donald Trump is considering a deal that would allow Iran to resume uranium enrichment in a decade, even as the President screamed at his top generals following the regime’s downing of two American pilots.
The proposal would require Iran to suspend uranium enrichment for ten years before permitting the regime to produce a modest amount of low-enriched uranium for another decade, according to the New York Times.
Trump had pushed for a 20-year suspension because he feared anything less would make his deal look too similar to the 2015 nuclear agreement he ultimately scrapped.
The nuclear deal signed by Barack Obama barred Iran from enriching uranium above civilian levels for 15 years.
But Trump now appears to be showing new flexibility on the issue as he looks to end the war, following a private meltdown with his top military advisers.
Trump ‘screamed at aides for hours’ following the downing of an American jet earlier this month, according to a new report released by the Wall Street Journal. The President was also ‘kept out of the room’ while his team was given minute-by-minute updates.
On April 3, an F-15E Strike Eagle with two crew members was shot down by Iranian forces in a dramatic escalation of the war.
It was believed to be the first US plane brought down by enemy fire during the conflict, as images of the wreckage circulated widely on social media.
Following the news, images of the 1979 Iranian hostage crisis loomed heavily in Trump’s mind, according to the report.
Trump reportedly demanded that the military retrieve the pilots immediately, but US troops hadn’t been on the ground in Iran since the government overthrow that led to the hostage crisis.
Aides updated Trump at meaningful moments, a senior administration official told the outlet.
While one pilot was rescued seven hours later, the other remained missing until late Saturday evening, when he was finally saved in a high-stakes extraction.
It wasn’t until after 2am that Trump went to bed.
The Daily Mail has contacted the White House for comment.
The report comes as peace talks hang in the balance with Iranian state news claiming the regime has ‘no plans’ for upcoming peace talks with the US.
Pakistani and US officials have claimed that Iran is interested in further talks in Pakistan despite the regime’s public messaging.
Over the weekend, Tehran said it was planning to attack US force in retaliation for the Navy’s raid on an Iranian tanker which tried to breach the American blockade on Sunday.
US Central Command announced Sunday that sailors aboard the USS Spruance opened fire on an Iranian oil tanker after it failed to heed multiple warnings to turn back in the Strait of Hormuz.
Writing on Truth Social over the weekend, Trump said: ‘Today, an Iranian-flagged cargo ship named TOUSKA, nearly 900 feet long and weighing almost as much as an aircraft carrier, tried to get past our Naval Blockade, and it did not go well for them.’
The regime responded by stating it was ‘ready to decisively confront the American aggressor forces’, but postponed strikes at the last moment due to safety concerns, according to state media.
On Monday morning, Brent crude futures were up by 4.74 per cent at $94.66 a barrel, while West Texas Intermediate was 5.6 per cent higher at $88.55.
