Van Hollen: Iran’s Willing to Make Concessions on Nukes, Trump and Netanyahu Won’t, Also, Iran’s More Radical Now

On Tuesday’s broadcast of NPR’s “Morning Edition,” Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-MD) claimed that “Tehran has been willing to make some concessions with respect to its nuclear program, and has been from the start.” But “It’s Donald Trump and Prime Minister Netanyahu that have refused to, essentially, take those proposals, to go back to the JCPOA,” and also stated that the new leadership in Iran is “more extreme, more militant, more radical” than the prior regime was.

Van Hollen said, [relevant remarks begin around 3:55] “Well, my understanding is Tehran has been willing to make some concessions with respect to its nuclear program, and has been from the start. They made concessions when they negotiated with Barack Obama. They dramatically reduced their stockpile. They dramatically reduced the enrichment level down to about 3.2%. So, they’ve already demonstrated they’re willing to make concessions on their nuclear program. It’s Donald Trump and Prime Minister Netanyahu that have refused to, essentially, take those proposals, to go back to the JCPOA, essentially.”

He added, “We actually have a more extreme, more militant, more radical regime in place that is really, completely tied in with the Iranian Revolutionary Guard right now.”

Follow Ian Hanchett on Twitter @IanHanchett

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