Iran ready to make deal with Trump to never make nuclear weapons, says top Iranian official

Top Iranian official Ali Shamkhani says his country is ready to make a deal with President Trump by agreeing to never make nuclear weapons in exchange for lifting economic sanctions.

Shamkhani, a top political, military, and nuclear adviser to Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, told NBC News on Wednesday that Iran would commit to never creating nukes, getting rid of highly enriched uranium stockpiles that can be used for weapons, agree to only enrich uranium to lower levels for civilian use, and allow international inspectors to supervise the process, if economic sanctions on Iran are immediately lifted.

He said "yes" when asked whether Iran would agree to sign an agreement that day if those conditions were met.

“It’s still possible. If the Americans act as they say, for sure we can have better relations,” Shamkhani said. “It can lead to a better situation in the near future.” 

Trump offered "an olive branch" to Iran on Wednesday that included threats of crippling economic sanctions if the country didn't agree to limiting its nuclear program.

"I want to make a deal with Iran. I want to do something if possible," he said. "But for that to happen, it must stop sponsoring terror, halt its bloody proxy wars, and permanently and verifiably cease its pursuit of nuclear weapons."

“He talks about the olive branch, which we have not seen. It’s all barbed wire,” Shamkhani said.