Donald Trump, the President of the United States, has said that Washington will not lift sanctions or release frozen Iranian assets before reaching a final agreement with Iran. In an interview with NBC News aired on Sunday, June 7 , Trump said that if Iran complies with its commitments and shows “appropriate behavior,” there could be room to begin talks and consider further steps. He also stated that he does not want Lebanon to be included in any potential short-term agreement between Washington and Tehran. According to Iranian officials, Tehran is demanding that at least half of its frozen assets be released before signing any agreement. In another part of the interview, Trump said that if a deal is reached, the United States would cooperate with Iran on collecting and destroying highly enriched uranium stockpiles. He also warned that if negotiations fail, Washington would increase military pressure on Iran in order to take direct control of these materials.
