Trump Says US-Iran Talks Underway but Tehran Not Ready to Deal
President Trump confirmed active US-Iran negotiations are ongoing but said Iran has not yet reached a point of readiness to finalize any agreement.
President Donald Trump publicly confirmed Tuesday that the United States and Iran are engaged in active diplomatic talks, but cautioned that Tehran remains unprepared to close a deal, raising fresh uncertainty over the prospects for a nuclear or sanctions agreement between the two longstanding adversaries.
Trump's remarks signal that back-channel or formal diplomatic contact has resumed between Washington and Tehran, a significant development given years of strained relations following the 2018 US withdrawal from the Iran nuclear accord and the subsequent maximum-pressure sanctions campaign. However, the president's own hedging suggests the gap between both sides remains substantial.
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The disclosure puts fresh pressure on Iran, which has been navigating severe economic consequences from US sanctions while also managing internal political divisions over whether to engage with the Trump administration. By going public with the talks, Trump may be attempting to force Tehran's hand or signal to domestic and allied audiences that diplomacy remains his preferred tool before any escalatory measures are considered.
Analysts will be watching closely for any Iranian government response, which could clarify whether the talks are exploratory in nature or tied to specific conditions around uranium enrichment levels, sanctions relief, or regional security guarantees. Any deal would require navigating deep mistrust on both sides as well as skepticism from US allies in the region.
Continue reading at Reuters.
