US President Donald Trump said Thursday that a deal was close on Iran’s nuclear program, voicing optimism about the chances for avoiding a military strike on Tehran’s sites.
“We’re not going to be making any nuclear dust in Iran,” Trump said in Qatar, the second of three stops during his four-day tour of the Middle East. “I think we’re getting close to maybe doing a deal without having to do this.”
“So we’ll see what happens. But we’re in very serious negotiations with Iran for long-term peace, and if we do that, it’ll be fantastic,” he added. It was not immediately clear what “long-term peace” meant in this context.
The US and Iran held their fourth round of indirect talks over the weekend, in their highest-level contact since the United States in 2018 pulled out of a previous 2015 nuclear deal.
Oil prices immediately dropped after Thursday’s comments by Trump, who said he was basing his optimism on new statements by Iran.
“You probably read today the story about Iran. It’s sort of agreed to the terms,” Trump said.
The president did not specify which remarks he was referring to, but an adviser to Iran’s supreme leader said Wednesday that Tehran was willing to accept far-reaching, though not total, curbs on its nuclear program if the US were to immediately remove sanctions.
US officials have offered varying statements regarding whether they’ll accept a deal that allows Iran to maintain a limited enrichment program, though more recently have asserted that they won’t.
Iran, which openly seeks Israel’s destruction, has ramped up its enrichment of uranium to 60 percent purity, which has no peaceful application, and has obstructed international inspectors from checking its nuclear facilities.
Trump said Thursday that Iran should “say a big thank you” to Qatar’s emir, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, who had pressed the US leader to avoid military action against his country’s giant neighbor.
“Iran is very lucky to have the emir because he’s actually fighting for them. He doesn’t want us to do a vicious blow to Iran,” Trump said.
The previous evening, while attending a state dinner, Trump also expressed his desire for a peaceful resolution to Iran’s nuclear program, but reiterated that the US would take action in the absence of a deal.
“The non-friendly is a violent course and I don’t want that,” Trump said on Wednesday, saying of the Iranians, “It’s their decision,” while urging Qatar to help reach an agreement.
“It’s a perilous situation, and we want to do the right thing,” he said. “We want to do something that’s going to save maybe millions of lives. Because things like that get started and they get out of control.”
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian on Wednesday said Iran will not “bow to any bully,” in response to Trump’s criticism of Tehran during his Gulf tour.
“He thinks he can come here, chant slogans and scare us. For us, martyrdom is far sweeter than dying in bed. You came to frighten us? We will not bow to any bully,” Pezeshkian said in comments broadcast live on state TV.
Despite the talks, Washington has continued to impose sanctions targeting Iran’s nuclear program, its oil industry, and its ballistic missile program.
An adviser to Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, Ali Shamkhani, told NBC News on Wednesday that Trump “talks about the olive branch, which we have not seen. It’s all barbed wire.”
In the interview, however, Shamkhani said “yes” to the proposition that, were the sanctions removed “immediately,” Tehran could agree to never develop nuclear weapons, give up stockpiles of highly enriched uranium and allow inspectors to nuclear sites, among other steps.
The United States on Wednesday unveiled fresh sanctions against six people and 12 firms — including several based in China and Hong Kong — for their support of Iran’s ballistic missile program.
The sanctions are aimed at organizations involved in “efforts to help the Iranian regime domestically source the manufacturing of critical materials needed for Tehran’s ballistic missile program,” according to the US Treasury Department.
“The United States cannot allow Iran to develop intercontinental ballistic missiles,” US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said in a statement.
Tehran’s attempts to produce missiles and components domestically “represents an unacceptable threat to the United States and the stability of the region,” he added.
Those sanctioned include three Chinese nationals — Qin Jinhua, Qin Dehui, and Wang Chao — who work for a China-based firm which has exported carbon fiber precursor materials to a sanctioned Iranian firm, and another Hong Kong-based company.
“Iran remains heavily reliant on China to conduct its malign activities in the Middle East,” US State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce said in a statement.
“This is another example of how the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) and China-based companies provide key economic and technical support to Iran and its proxies,” she added.
On Tuesday the United States announced fresh sanctions on Iranian oil sales to China, as Trump’s administration continues its “maximum pressure” campaign against Tehran while backing ongoing nuclear talks.
The sanctions follow similar designations in recent weeks, at the same time as Washington and Tehran have stepped up nuclear talks.