WASHINGTON DC: A senior Trump administration official on Friday (local time) said Iran has committed to never develop or procure nuclear weapons under a proposed agreement, while sanctions relief would be tied to strict verification and inspections.

Speaking about the negotiations, the official said the agreement enjoys support from regional partners, including Israel and Gulf countries.

“We feel quite confident that all of our allies- the Israelis and the Gulf coalition- will get on board. Obviously, that doesn’t mean they give up the right to self-defence, and if Iranians don’t honor their end of the obligation, I wouldn’t expect the Israelis to not respond.”

The official also said there is a “broad consensus” within Iran on the proposed deal.

“We do also see is broad consensus in the IRGC, among the hardliners, among the civilian leadership, that this is a good and acceptable deal. So we actually feel quite confident that there is consensus within the system. It doesn’t mean there isn’t some dissent, but we think that dissent is quite minimal,” the official said.

According to the official, the agreement has been structured to ensure Iran receives benefits only after fulfilling its commitments.

“I do trust that we structured the deal in such a way where they don’t get their benefits unless we get our benefits, and that’s how we’re going to walk down this pathway of a negotiated settlement.”

On the specifics of the agreement, the official said Iran has committed to eliminating enriched nuclear material and decommissioning nuclear sites, although technical details remain under discussion.

“We think that this is the first and most important step to really ensuring that the Iranians do not build a nuclear weapon”.

The official said Tehran has committed indefinitely to not developing or procuring nuclear weapons and that benefits under the agreement would be delivered only after verification measures are satisfied.