Trump's 'Failure to Eliminate Iran's Nuclear Program' and 'Failure to End Ukraine' Internal Strife, Manipulation of Korean Media

Trump's 'Failure to Eliminate Iran's Nuclear Program' and 'Failure to End Ukraine'  Internal Strife,

Manipulation of Korean Media 

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The Trump administration is showing internal strife as the promises of 'eliminating Iran's nuclear weapons' and 'ending Ukraine' have been revealed as empty promises, and Korean media have been reporting on them.

The US-Iran nuclear negotiations began to show signs of internal strife when President Trump's promise of 'eliminating nuclear programs' was excluded from the second round of talks mediated by Oman.

In an interview on the 15th, Special Envoy Witkoff explained a possible agreement that would fundamentally allow Iran to produce low-level fuel through careful inspection and monitoring, and then announced 'elimination' in the negotiations on social media, saying, "Iran must stop and eliminate its nuclear enrichment and weaponization programs," but he did not make a statement immediately after the Rome negotiations mediated by Oman ended on the 19th.

 

Trump administration hawks on Iran, led by National Security Adviser Waltz and Secretary of State Rubio, have argued for “complete dismantlement,” saying that allowing Iran to produce its own nuclear fuel is too dangerous, and immediately after the Oman talks, Iran’s foreign minister announced that “a group of experts will meet in the coming days to discuss technical details, including the maximum level at which Iran can enrich uranium, the size of its nuclear stockpile, and how to monitor and verify compliance with the agreement,” exposing the rift. The New York Times reported on the 19th that “the question of whether to allow Iran to have the ability to produce nuclear fuel, while risking that Iran could use the fuel to make a bomb, has sharply divided Trump’s aides.” 

“These divisions have been openly expressed in recent days, even as Mr. Witkoff, a real estate developer and friend of the president, prepared for the Oman-mediated talks at the Omani ambassador’s residence in Rome on the 19th.”

Special envoy Witkoff did not speak immediately after the second round of talks ended at the Omani embassy in Rome on the afternoon of the 19th, while the Iranian foreign minister spoke to Iranian media, and Oman signaled a rift in the talks by saying that “technical talks will be held in the capital Muscat in the coming days.”

In private conversations ahead of the talks, Iran told U.S. officials that it was willing to lower its enrichment to 3.67 percent, the level needed to produce nuclear power plant fuel, as outlined in the 2015 agreement with the Obama administration.

Since Trump withdrew from the Iran nuclear deal negotiated by the Democratic Obama administration, Iran has been enriching its uranium to a much higher level, around 60 percent purity, just below the level needed to produce a nuclear weapon. 

“Three months into President Trump’s second term, the disappointment in Moscow is palpable,” the New York Times Moscow bureau chief said. “Kremlin aides have expressed frustration with Trump’s turbulent approach to talks and Putin’s rigidity in the negotiations, and some diplomats fear that a breakdown in talks could lead to further escalation of the fighting, as Trump and his top diplomat warned on the 17th that the U.S. might back out of the talks,” the Times reported on the 19th, citing interviews with Russian officials. 

“For now, increasingly direct warnings from Trump and his aides that they might run out of patience have had little effect,” the Times said. “Putin has not budged from his rejection of a month-long ceasefire agreed to by Ukraine in March, and his declaration of a one-day “Easter truce” on the 18th appears to be a tactic intended to show that Russia is still interested in peace.” The Korean media reported Putin’s “Easter truce” as “Putin’s response to Trump’s threat,” and the second Iran nuclear summit in Rome was reported as “progress” and “optimism” based on “Iran’s announcement.”

After the Rome summit, US officials responded to reporters’ questions about whether the US could live with Iran, which has limited nuclear enrichment capabilities, by simply saying, “President Trump has pledged that Iran will not allow it to acquire nuclear weapons.”

During his visit to Paris on the 17th, Secretary of State Rubio told reporters, “Any negotiation must prevent Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons,” adding, “It must not only prevent Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons now, but also prevent them in the future.”

President Trump himself remains ambiguous about the strategic goals of the negotiations, other than reiterating that Iran must never acquire a nuclear bomb.

“The talks that have advanced to a technical level show a degree of pragmatism,” Ali Vaez, the Iran director for the International Crisis Group, told the Times, adding that “the talk of dismantling Iran’s nuclear program was mostly open bluff.” But that second option would expose Trump to criticism that he has done nothing to improve the decade-old deal he declared a “disaster.”

“It’s the paradox of paradoxes,” Aaron David Miller of the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace told the Times. “What’s happening in Rome and Oman is a revival of something that looks very close to the deal that President Obama approved.” 

The New York Times reported that “Given President Trump’s lack of sympathy for Ukraine and his deepening conflicts with U.S. allies, Putin appears to be gaining confidence that Russia can eventually defeat Ukraine in a war of attrition,” and that “the Kremlin is dangling the possibility of lucrative U.S. business deals in Russia to keep Trump’s appetite, no matter what happens on the battlefield.”

One analyst close to the Russian government said Putin has yet to show the flexibility many expect on territorial issues, such as the future of four Ukrainian regions. “The Kremlin’s efforts to ‘diversify its negotiating portfolio’ with the U.S. to include issues such as energy, the Arctic and spaceflight could allow rapprochement with the U.S. to continue even if talks on Ukraine fail,” the Times reported.    

KBS reported on the 20th under the title, “Are You Afraid of the U.S. Warning? Russia Unilaterally Declares 30-Hour Ceasefire.” 

Yonhap News reported, “Are You Afraid of the U.S. Warning? <Russia unilaterally declares 30-hour ceasefire, Ukraine proposes extension> reported on the 20th. 

TV Chosun reported on the 20th with the title <Putin declares '30-hour ceasefire' immediately after US warning... Zelensky proposes extension>. 

SBS reported on the 20th with the title <Putin's 'Easter ceasefire'... Trying to appease Trump?>. 

Channel A reported on the 20th with the title <Putin, "30-hour ceasefire" for Easter... Startled by Trump?>. Regarding the Iran nuclear negotiations, 

KBS reported on the 20th with the title <US-Iran, 2nd nuclear negotiations in Rome... Both countries evaluate "progress">, <According to the Associated Press, a senior US government official evaluated that "we have made very good progress in our direct and indirect discussions.">. 

The AP reported that <the two sides have made “very good progress in direct and indirect discussions,” according to a senior Trump administration official who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the closed-door diplomatic talks>, and that <Aragchi (Iran’s Foreign Minister) similarly said in a post on X that there has been “progress on the principles and objectives of a possible deal.” However, he added that “optimism may be justified, but considerable caution is needed.” 

Regarding the talks, the AP reported that <Aragchi visited Moscow in recent days to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin>, and <Russia, one of the world powers involved in Tehran’s 2015 nuclear deal, could be a key player in any future negotiations reached between Tehran and Washington. Analysts have suggested that Russia could potentially have Iran’s uranium enriched to 60% purity, a short, technical step back from the weapons-grade 90%>, referring to it as the “60% deal.” 

The AP article quickly reported that “progress in negotiations” was “face-to-face negotiations,” saying, “A U.S. official confirmed that President Trump’s special envoy for nuclear talks, Witkoff, and Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi met face-to-face during the negotiations in Rome.” 

The AP said, “Ali Shamkhani, an adviser to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, wrote in an article in X before the talks that, ‘Iran will not accept giving up its enrichment program like Libya or agreeing to use uranium enriched abroad for its nuclear program,’” adding, “Iran has come for a balanced agreement, not surrender.”

The mere fact that talks are taking place is a historic moment, given the decades of hostility between the two countries since the 1979 Islamic Revolution and the U.S. Embassy hostage crisis. Trump unilaterally withdrew from the Iran nuclear deal with world powers in 2018 during his first term, sparking years of attacks and negotiations, but failed to restore the deal that drastically limited Iran's uranium enrichment in exchange for lifting economic sanctions. 

YTN reported on the 20th with the title, <US, Iran End Second Nuclear Talks... Both Sides "Show Progress in Negotiations">. 

Yonhap News reported with the title, <US, Iran End Second Nuclear Talks in Rome... Both Sides Assess "Progress">