ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - US President Donald Trump said that negotiations with Iran are progressing positively and suggested that a deal could be reached within days, expressing optimism despite recent tensions that had cast doubt over diplomatic efforts.
Speaking to reporters at the White House, Trump said late Wednesday, “I hear the negotiation itself is going very well,” adding, “I think a deal is going to be made there. That’s going to happen pretty soon.”
Trump’s remarks came as Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said that “communication with the Americans has not been severed,” while noting that “no tangible progress” has been achieved in the negotiation process.
“We have explicitly declared to all concerned parties that an attack on Beirut is a blatant aggression, and we will not remain silent in the face of it,” Araghchi further told the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC)-affiliated Tasnim News Agency.
“In the event of continued Israeli aggression against Beirut, our armed forces are fully prepared to resume the war and strike targets inside Israel,” he warned.
The remarks by Trump and Araghchi followed Monday reports by IRGC-affiliated media that claimed Iran had suspended indirect talks with the US due to Israel’s continued military actions in Lebanon.
The US and Israel in late February launched a large-scale aerial campaign against Iran, striking thousands of targets across the country during six weeks of hostilities.
In response, Iran carried out thousands of drone and missile strikes across the Middle East, targeting alleged US assets in the region, as well as launching retaliatory attacks against Israel.
The Iranian response also involved armed groups aligned with the Tehran-led ‘Axis of Resistance,’ with several factions claiming responsibility for attacks on alleged US targets across the region, including in Iraq and the Kurdistan Region.
Iran and the US agreed to a Pakistan-mediated ceasefire on April 8, halting hostilities to create space for diplomatic negotiations. While the first round of talks concluded without a final agreement on April 11, a second round has yet to take place.
Alongside the diplomatic efforts, Tehran and Washington engaged in reciprocal maritime measures. Iran tightened its control over shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, while the US imposed a naval blockade on Iranian ports beginning April 13.
