President Donald Trump said on Wednesday he had held “very good talks” with Iranian officials over the past 24 hours and that “it is very possible that we will make a deal,” signalling fresh momentum in fragile negotiations that Washington says could formally end the six-week conflict between the United States, Israel and Iran. Trump told reporters at the White House that Iran should suspend its nuclear programme and reopen the Strait of Hormuz, warning that the United States would resume heavy bombardment if talks collapsed.
Trump repeated his optimism in an interview with PBS, saying he believed a deal could be reached before his scheduled trip to China next week. He framed the discussions in stark terms: “Iran cannot have a nuclear weapon,” and added that while he prefers diplomacy, failure would mean a return to intense military action. The White House announcement followed a brief pause in “Project Freedom” — a US operation to escort stranded commercial vessels through the strait — which Trump said he halted after requests from mediator Pakistan and other countries amid “great progress” toward an agreement.
Tehran, however, played down suggestions that a deal was imminent. Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei called reports that an agreement was close “exaggerated,” saying Iran had not yet issued a formal response to the latest US text and that diplomatic exchanges were continuing through Pakistan. Iran’s semiofficial Tasnim news agency cited an unnamed source saying the US proposal contained “some unacceptable provisions,” without specifying details, and a parliamentarian involved in foreign policy, Ebrahim Rezaei, dismissed the draft as “more of an American wish list than a reality.”
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Two sources briefed on the mediation told Reuters that negotiators were close to agreeing a one-page memorandum that would formally end the conflict and open the way for follow-on talks to unblock Hormuz shipping, lift US sanctions and impose curbs on Iran’s nuclear work. It remained unclear how that memorandum would differ from a 14-point plan Tehran circulated last week. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he would speak with Trump about the discussions and that the two agreed any settlement must ensure removal of enriched uranium — a demand Tehran has steadfastly rejected, insisting its enrichment activities are peaceful.
Amid the diplomatic manoeuvring, US Central Command said US forces operating in the Gulf of Oman disabled an Iranian-flagged oil tanker, identified as the M/T Hasna, after it allegedly failed to comply with multiple warnings while transiting international waters. CENTCOM reiterated that the US blockade on ships trying to enter or leave Iranian ports remained “in full effect.” State Department spokesman Tommy Pigott said Washington remained “clear-eyed” about the disruptions caused by Iran’s near-closure of the strait but insisted the US could not accept a country deciding who may use an international waterway.
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The latest developments mark a delicate balance between high-level diplomacy and continuing military pressure. Trump has repeatedly touted the prospect of a deal that would end hostilities that began on February 28, but Iranian officials and allied voices have so far resisted US demands on key points — notably enriched uranium and control of the strait — leaving the outcome uncertain even as mediators press both sides toward a compact that would halt fighting and address regional security and economic access.
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