ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - United States President Donald Trump on Thursday said nuclear negotiations with Iran are “doing very well.”
“I think we're doing very well with respect to Iran and we're having very serious meetings and there are only two options, and one option is not a good option. It's not a good option at all,” Trump told reporters in the Oval office.
“We could have a very, very good decision and a lot of lives will be saved,” he added.
Washington and Tehran this month began indirect talks, mediated by Oman, about Iran’s nuclear program and sanctions relief. Both sides have said the negotiations are proceeding well. A third round of talks are expected to be held in Oman on Saturday.
In 2018, Trump withdrew from the 2015 nuclear deal, a pact under which Iran had agreed to curb its uranium enrichment program in exchange for sanctions relief. Following his withdrawal, Trump reimposed sweeping sanctions on the Islamic republic, prompting Tehran to gradually roll back its nuclear commitments.
Upon returning to office earlier this year, Trump reinstated his “maximum pressure” campaign against Iran, arguing in early February that Tehran was “too close” to developing a nuclear weapon. He wants a new deal with Iran, but has threatened military action should negotiations fail.
Iran maintains that its nuclear program is for peaceful purposes.
