‘They want to make a deal badly’: Trump says Iran talks made progress

Washington: US President Donald Trump has said that Washington had made progress in talks with Iran and suggested a possible agreement could emerge soon, while insisting that Tehran “cannot have a nuclear weapon”.

“They want to make a deal badly,” Trump told reporters at the White House on Wednesday (Local time). “We’ve had very good talks over the last 24 hours, and it’s very possible that we’ll make a deal.”

Trump rejected suggestions that Iran remained defiant.

“Well, why do you say they refused to submit? You don’t know that,” he told a reporter.

The President repeated his long-standing position that Tehran must never acquire nuclear weapons.

“They can’t have nuclear weapons, it’s very simple,” Trump said.

Trump also claimed Iran’s military infrastructure had been heavily damaged during the conflict.

“They had a Navy with 159 ships, and now every ship is blown to pieces and lying at the bottom of the water,” he said. “They had an Air Force, lots of planes, and they don’t have any planes.”

He further claimed Iran’s anti-aircraft systems, radar capabilities and missile stockpiles had been “mostly decimated”.

“Their leaders are all dead. So, I think we won,” Trump said.

At the same time, Trump said diplomacy remained possible and argued Iran would need decades to recover militarily if the conflict stopped now.

“If we left right now, Iran, it would take them 20 years to rebuild,” he said.

Trump declined to set any timeline for negotiations.

“Never a deadline,” he said when asked if he expected a deadline for a deal with Tehran. “It’ll happen.”

The President also defended the economic consequences of the conflict, saying US financial markets had remained resilient despite fears of a severe oil shock.

“I thought oil prices would go to $200, $250,” Trump said. “It’s at $100 now.”

Trump said he had expected US markets to fall sharply during the conflict, but instead claimed the stock market had reached new highs.

“The stock market is higher now than when we started this war,” he said.

Trump also referred to renewed interest by major US energy firms in Venezuela, mentioning discussions with ExxonMobil and Chevron executives at the White House.

On the other hand, Iran said Wednesday it has not exchanged any new written messages with the United States, pushing back against reports that the two sides are close to a one-page agreement to end hostilities.

The semi-official Fars news agency called recent media reports “fabricated,” saying they were designed to influence global markets and drive down oil prices rather than reflect the situation on the ground.

Fars, citing two unnamed sources, said Iran has not yet responded to the latest US message, which was delivered through Pakistan. Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei said Tehran is still reviewing the US proposal and will respond after completing its assessment, according to the Iranian Students’ News Agency.

IANS