The US President, Donald Trump, announced yesterday that his confidence in Iran’s agreement to halt uranium enrichment under a nuclear deal with the United States has diminished. Responding to a question on the “Pod Save the One” podcast about whether he believes he can convince Iran to agree to abandon its nuclear program, Trump said, “I don’t know, I thought I could already, and my confidence is diminishing more and more.” This comes as Iran announced on the first day before yesterday that preparations are underway for the sixth round of indirect talks with the United States, scheduled for the coming Sunday in the Sultanate of Oman. The round of talks comes amid anticipation of Iran’s response to the US proposal, which was delivered through the Sultanate of Oman about two weeks ago, along with escalating actions from the United States, France, Britain, and Germany at the International Atomic Energy Agency, as these countries seek to issue a resolution accusing Iran of non-cooperation with the agency, while Iranian authorities reaffirm their intention to respond to that. Meanwhile, Iranian Foreign Minister, Abbas Araqchi, expressed optimism about the possibility of reaching an agreement with the United States on Iran’s nuclear program. He said in a post on his “X” platform account yesterday that “Trump has been adamant since taking office that he will not allow Iran to possess nuclear weapons, which is in line with the Iranian direction and may be the main basis for reaching an agreement.”
Enrichment and Sanctions
He also believed that reaching an agreement to ensure the peaceful nature of Iran’s nuclear program has become within reach and can be achieved quickly with the resumption of negotiations next Sunday, but he linked reaching an agreement to the continuation of Iran’s enrichment program under the full supervision of the International Atomic Energy Agency and the actual lifting of sanctions. This comes after the US President considered yesterday that Iran has become “more aggressive” in its negotiations with the West, while the commander of the US Central Command, General Michael Corrella, confirmed his country’s readiness to respond “forcefully” to prevent Tehran from possessing nuclear weapons, adding that the military has made plans in case the nuclear talks fail. Iran and the United States have conducted 5 rounds of talks since April 13, which were described as positive, but there is still strong divergence between them regarding the issue of uranium enrichment on Iranian soil. While Tehran considers it a sovereign right, the Trump administration rejects it and affirms that it is a “red line.