Trump says 20-year nuclear programme suspension by Iran would be enough

Speaking to reporters on Air Force One after talks in Beijing with Chinese President Xi Jinping, Trump said the two sides had agreed Tehran could not be allowed to have a nuclear weapon and must reopen the Strait of Hormuz, which it is currently blocking, prompting a rise in world oil prices.When a reporter suggested that a 20-year suspension of Iran's nuclear programme was not enough, he replied: "Twenty years is enough, but the level of guarantee from them, in other words it's got to be a real 20 years." He did no elaborate.US media reported in April that during a session of talks in the Pakistani capital, Islamabad, Vice-President JD Vance had responded to an Iranian proposal to cease enrichment for five years by insisting on a minimum of 20 years.However, this is thought to be the first time Trump himself has mentioned a 20-year time frame.In his first term as president, he withdrew from a 2015 nuclear agreement reached with Iran by the Obama administration. One of the reasons given was opposition to so-called "sunset clauses" which would have allowed some restrictions on Iran to expire over time. Israel has so far not reacted to Trump's remarks. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said that Iran's stockpile of enriched uranium must be "taken out" before the war against Iran can be considered over.Netanyahu vehemently opposed the 2015 nuclear deal, partly on the grounds that the sunset clauses would leave open the possibility of Iran obtaining nuclear weapons and continuing to present a grave threat to Israel.