Trump signals possible deal on Iran nuclear program

Donald Trump said on Monday there was a “very good chance” of striking an agreement to curb Iran’s nuclear programme, arguing diplomacy could still avert a fresh US assault.

The US president also said he had halted a planned strike on Iran after Tehran delivered what he described as a peace proposal to Washington.

Mr Trump said he had told the US military that “we will not be doing the scheduled attack of Iran tomorrow, but have further instructed them to be prepared to go forward with a full, large scale assault of Iran, on a moment’s notice, in the event that an acceptable deal is not reached”.

No such operation had been publicly announced beforehand, and Reuters could not establish whether preparations had in fact been under way for strikes that would amount to a renewed phase in the war Mr Trump launched in late February.

In a post on Truth Social, he said the leaders of Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates had urged him to delay the attack because “a Deal will be made, which will be very acceptable to ‌the United States of America, as well as all Countries in the ⁠Middle East, and beyond”.

He provided no further detail about the terms under discussion.

Vessels lie at anchor in the Strait of Hormuz

Speaking later to reporters, Mr Trump said Washington’s bottom line was straightforward: any agreement must stop Tehran from acquiring a nuclear weapon.

“There seems to be a very good chance that they can work something out. If we can do that without bombing the hell out of them, I would be very happy,” Mr Trump told reporters assembled for an unrelated event.

His announcement that he had called off an attack followed confirmation from Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei that Tehran’s position had been “conveyed to the American side through Pakistan”, though he offered no specifics.

A Pakistani source confirmed that Islamabad, which has passed messages between the two sides during the Middle East war since hosting the only round of peace talks last month, had delivered the latest proposal to Washington.

Still, the source indicated the negotiations remained fraught.

The sides “keep changing their goalposts,” the Pakistani source said, adding: “We don’t have much time.”

Iran strikes a defiant tone

Iran responded with defiant statements carried by state media after Mr Trump’s remarks, warning the US and its allies against any further “strategic mistakes or miscalculations” in attacking Iran and insisting its armed forces were “more prepared and ‌stronger than in the past”.

Iran’s top joint military command, Khatam al-Anbiya, said the country’s armed forces were “ready to pull the trigger” if the United States launched any renewed attack, according ‌to Iran’s Tasnim news agency.

“Any renewed aggression and invasion … will be responded to quickly, decisively, powerfully, and extensively,” Ali Abdollahi, the commander of Khatam al-Anbiya, was quoted as saying.

Women wave Iran’s national flags during an anti-US and Israel protest at Tehran’s Hafte Tir Square

According to a senior Iranian source, Tehran’s latest peace proposal appeared in many ways to mirror an earlier offer that Mr Trump dismissed last week as “garbage”.

The proposal would initially centre on ending the war, reopening the Strait of Hormuz — a crucial oil shipping lane that Iran has effectively blockaded — and removing maritime sanctions.

Washington appears to ease its position

In what appeared to be a softening of Washington’s stance, the senior Iranian source said the United States had agreed to release a quarter of Iran’s frozen funds — worth tens of billions of dollars — held in foreign ⁠banks.

Iran, however, is seeking the release of all those assets.

The same source said Washington had also shown greater flexibility on allowing Iran to continue some peaceful nuclear activity under the supervision of the International Atomic Energy Agency.

The US has not confirmed that it has agreed to any part of the proposed arrangement.

Tasnim separately cited an unidentified source as saying Washington had agreed to suspend oil sanctions on Iran while talks continued.

Iranian officials did not immediately comment on that report. A US official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said it was false.

A fragile ceasefire has held after six weeks of war triggered by US-Israeli airstrikes on Iran, although drones have been launched from Iraq toward Gulf countries, including Saudi Arabia and Kuwait, apparently by Iran and its allies.

Pakistan’s Foreign Ministry issued a statement yesterday condemning a drone attack on ‌Sunday, when Saudi Arabia said it had intercepted three drones that entered the country from Iraqi airspace.

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