US President Donald Trump said on Thursday that Iran had “sort of agreed” to American terms in ongoing nuclear negotiations, suggesting a breakthrough in the long-running standoff may be imminent.
“We’re getting very close to a deal,” Trump told reporters. “You probably read today the story about Iran has sort of agreed to the terms. We're not going to be making any nuclear dust in Iran.”
Trump emphasized that his administration’s core demand remains unchanged: “They can’t have a nuclear weapon. That’s the only thing. It’s very simple.”
Iran has enough enriched uranium to produce several nuclear warheads and could do so within months, International Atomic Energy Agency Director General Rafael Grossi said last month.
Trump said Tehran now has two options moving forward, either diplomatic or military.
“There’s a very, very nice step. And there’s a violent step, the violence like people haven’t seen before,” Trump warned. “I don’t want to do the second step. Some people do. Many people do. I don’t want to do that.”
Trump’s remarks came while Iranian officials signaled readiness to accept significant constraints on the country's nuclear activities.
In an interview with NBC News published Wednesday, Ali Shamkhani, a senior adviser to Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, said Tehran was prepared to stop enriching uranium to weapons-grade levels, reduce its stockpile, and allow international inspections — if the United States lifts economic sanctions.
Asked whether Iran would sign such a deal immediately, Shamkhani responded: “Yes.”
“It’s still possible,” he said. “If the Americans act as they say, for sure we can have better relations,” after decades of animosity, the two having broken diplomatic ties in 1979 after the Islamic Revolution.
Trump, speaking at a state dinner in Doha alongside Qatar’s Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad AlThani, said he hoped the situation would be resolved peacefully. “We want to see Iran do well and thrive and be successful,” he said. “We want to have this end peacefully, not horribly.”
He added that his administration was “in very serious negotiations with Iran for long-term peace” and suggested that he views himself as a moderate voice. “In a certain sense, I guess I’m a good friend [to Iran], because a lot of people would rather have me take a much more harsh road,” he added.
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian and senior officials issued a sharp rebuke to Trump on Wednesday, following a blistering speech in Riyadh in which Trump accused Tehran of destabilizing the Middle East and mismanaging its economy.
Pezeshkian, speaking in Kermanshah on Thursday, condemned US policies as the true source of regional bloodshed, citing civilian deaths in Gaza as the US supports its ally Israel against Iran-backed militant group Hamas, and US arms sales to Persian Gulf states. "Is it us who are the threat, or those who flood this region with bombs?" he said.
Iran’s foreign ministry accused Trump of attempting to sow division between Iran and its neighbors, with spokesman Esmail Baghaei calling the Riyadh speech a “deliberate move” against regional unity.
Tehran maintains it is not seeking nuclear weapons but vowed to continue uranium enrichment.
Iranian lawmakers said on Wednesday that Iran can enrich up to 93% if deemed necessary, while Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi proposed a regional enrichment consortium with Arab and US participation, in talks mediated by Oman.
The fourth round of indirect talks between the US and Iran in Muscat ended with Iranian officials warning that continued US pressure could derail progress.
Araghchi also criticized Trump’s earlier remarks in Riyadh, calling them “delusional” and blaming US policy for the country’s economic problems.
Still, Trump, traveling through the Persian Gulf region, projected optimism. “We’re going to try and get it done. They have to move quickly,” he said.
While refraining from directly threatening military action, Trump said that the US would take “all action required” to prevent Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon.
Trump began his Middle East tour in Saudi Arabia on Tuesday, where he stressed economic ties and regional alliances over military confrontation.
At the GCC summit in Riyadh, he urged Iran to end its support of military proxies in the region, accusing the Biden administration of empowering Tehran and abandoning traditional US allies.
