Trump says US close to a nuclear deal with Iran
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Donald Trump says the US is close to a nuclear deal with Iran, but negotiations face key obstacles over uranium enrichment, sanctions, and the terms of the 2015 agreement.
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Donald Trump says the US is close to a nuclear deal with Iran, but negotiations face key obstacles over uranium enrichment, sanctions, and the terms of the 2015 agreement on May 14, 2025 (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
US President Donald Trump claimed on Thursday that the United States was getting very close to securing a nuclear deal with Iran, with Tehran having potentially close to agreeing to the terms.
During a tour of the Gulf, Trump said: "We're in very serious negotiations with Iran for long-term peace," according to a shared pool report by AFP.
Je added: "We're getting close to maybe doing a deal without having to do this... There (are) two steps to doing this, there is a very, very nice step and there is the violent step, but I don't want to do it the second way."
Fresh talks between Iranian and US negotiators aimed at resolving disputes over Tehran’s nuclear program concluded in Oman on Sunday, with officials confirming plans for further negotiations.
Iran, however, has publicly reaffirmed its commitment to continuing uranium enrichment.
While both Tehran and Washington say they prefer diplomacy to resolve the decades-long nuclear standoff, key divisions persist. That said, negotiators must navigate a series of red lines on both sides to forge a new agreement and avert the risk of future military escalation.
Iran’s president responded to Trump’s Tuesday remarks, where he labeled Tehran the 'most destructive force' in the Middle East, by rejecting the claim and accusing Washington of destabilizing the region.
In turn, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said, "Trump thinks he can sanction and threaten us and then talk of human rights. All the crimes and regional instability is caused by them (the United States),” adding that “He wants to create instability inside Iran."
Core disputes and roadblocks
In a public statement, US officials demanded that Iran halt uranium enrichment, a stance Iranian officials have labeled a "red line," asserting they will not give up what they view as their right to enrich uranium on Iranian soil.
Iranian officials have signaled a willingness to reduce their stockpile of highly enriched uranium, material enriched beyond levels needed for civilian energy use, but insist they will not accept limits stricter than those outlined in the 2015 nuclear deal, which was abandoned by the Trump administration.
An Iranian source familiar with the negotiations said that while Iran is prepared to make concessions, "the issue is that America is not willing to lift major sanctions in exchange."
It is worth mentioning that Western sanctions have significantly impacted the Iranian economy.
On the issue of reducing enriched uranium stockpiles, the source noted: "Tehran wants the material to be removed in several stages, something Washington opposes." Disagreements also persist over where the highly enriched uranium would be transferred
Pezeshkian hits back at Trump
Amid the ongoing talks, Pezeshkian delivered a fiery response on Wednesday to US President Donald Trump’s speech in Riyadh, in which Trump accused Iran’s leaders of mismanagement and destabilizing the Middle East.
Speaking in Kermanshah, western Iran, Pezeshkian rejected Trump’s allegations and turned the blame on Washington and its allies.
"Did we kill 60,000 women and children in Gaza within a year, under bombs and missiles?" he asked, adding, "Did we cut off water, bread, and medicine from those poor people? Are we the threat?"
Pezeshkian also highlighted US arms sales, saying, “When they boast of having missiles and bombs beyond imagination, is it we who are causing war and bloodshed, or is it them, who flood this region with weapons and ammunition?”
He further criticized the US for fueling regional conflict, “You want the countries of this region to turn on each other by handing out bombs and missiles, and then you say you are peace-seekers?”
Pezeshkian also reminded Trump that he ordered the killing of Iranian General Qassem Soleimani in Iraq in 2020, stating, “Soleimani was the man who stood against ISIS, the same ISIS you trained, supported, and nurtured. And now you claim you defeated them?”
