WASHINGTON, April 6: President Barack Obama has told Iran the US would accept Tehran having a civilian nuclear programme if the Islamic state can prove it is not seeking atomic weapons, the Washington Post said on Friday.

Obama sent such a message to Tehran via Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who delivered it to Iran’s Supreme leader Ali Khamenei last week, said columnist David Ignatius.

“President Obama has signalled Iran that the US would accept an Iranian civilian nuclear programme if Supreme leader Ali Khamenei can back up his public claim that his nation ‘will never pursue nuclear weapons’,” said Ignatius. “A few days before travelling to Iran, Erdogan held a meeting with Obama in Seoul, in which they discussed what Erdogan would tell the ayatollah about the nuclear issue and Syria,” he wrote.—AFP