Trump vows new Iran nuclear deal will 'guarantee peace', dismisses JCPOA as 'road to nuclear weapon'

US President Donald Trump on Monday posted on Truth Social, declaring that a new nuclear agreement being negotiated with Iran would be far superior to the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), which he described as one of the worst deals in American history even as a second round of peace talks in Islamabad hangs in the balance with the ceasefire set to expire Wednesday evening.

In his post, he said, "The DEAL that we are making with Iran will be FAR BETTER than the JCPOA, commonly referred to as “The Iran Nuclear Deal,” penned by Barack Hussein Obama and Sleepy Joe Biden, one of the Worst Deals ever made having to do with the Security of our Country. It was a guaranteed Road to a Nuclear Weapon, which will not, and cannot, happen with the Deal we’re working on."

Also Read: 'Israel did not talk me into war': Trump hits back at reports of Netanyahu's role in Iran attack


Trump, who withdrew the US from the JCPOA during his first term, said the Obama-era deal had put the world on a guaranteed path to nuclear proliferation. He repeated his long-standing criticism of a $1.7 billion payment to Iran made under the Obama administration, and said any deal struck under his watch would "guarantee peace, security, and safety" for Israel, the Middle East, Europe, and America.

The post comes as diplomatic momentum hits a fresh wall. A first round of talks in Islamabad on April 11-12 lasted 21 hours across three rounds but ended without agreement, with the two sides failing to bridge differences on Iran's nuclear programme and control of the Strait of Hormuz.

Trump on Monday said the ceasefire is set to expire Wednesday evening and called an extension "highly unlikely."

Also Read: India seeks to cool war’s oil burn with flex-fuel shift

A second round in Islamabad had been anticipated, but Iran's foreign ministry on Monday said it had "no plans for the next round of negotiations," with spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei citing the US naval blockade of the Strait of Hormuz imposed on April 13, as a ceasefire violation. Vance is expected to depart for Pakistan on Tuesday ahead of a potential second round, though Iran has not confirmed it will participate.