US Authorities Discussing If Deal With Iran Should Cover Only Nuclear Program - Reports

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - The US Administration is discussing whether a possible deal with Iran should cover only its nuclear program or also extend to Iranian missiles and proxy forces, the Wall Street Journal reported on Saturday, citing US and Middle Eastern officials familiar with the matter.

On Thursday, US President Donald Trump said that Iran had 15 days maximum to make a deal with the United States.

With the discussions on the modalities of the potential deal are kept internal to the White House, some administration officials believe that limiting the deal to Iran's nuclear program would be beneficial to Tehran, the newspaper reported, adding that Trump would rather pursue diplomacy before resorting to other options.

The second round of Iran-US negotiations regarding Tehran's nuclear program took place on February 17 in Geneva with the Omani mediation. Following the talks, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi announced progress and noted that Tehran and Washington would work on texts that could form the basis of a potential agreement.

Source: https://sputnikglobe.com