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United States President Donald Trump discussed ongoing nuclear negotiations with Iran during a phone call with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, the White House said Thursday. White House spokesperson Karoline Leavitt said Trump raised the subject of a “potential deal with Iran” during the call, noting the president believes the talks are “moving along in the right direction.”
“As the president told me, and he's told all of you, this deal with Iran could end in two ways. It could end in a very positive diplomatic solution, or it could end in a very negative situation for Iran. So that's why these talks are taking place later this week,” Leavitt said.
Her comments referenced the fifth round of indirect talks, which mediator Oman announced will take place Friday in Rome. The negotiations, which resumed in April, are aimed at resolving the long-standing standoff over Iran’s nuclear program.
Trump withdrew the United States from the 2015 nuclear deal between Iran and world powers in 2018 and spent much of his first term applying pressure on Tehran to return to the table for what he called a “better” agreement.
Although his first term ended without securing new negotiations, Trump has since renewed efforts after returning to office, warning that Iran would face military consequences if it fails to accept a new deal.
Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said Tuesday that he does not believe the negotiations will produce “any meaningful outcome.”
He also rejected recent U.S. demands for Iran to dismantle its uranium enrichment program, calling such remarks “nonsense.”
Uranium enrichment remains a central sticking point in the talks. On Sunday, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi stated that Iran’s enrichment activities would continue “with or without a deal.”
His remarks followed comments from U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff, who insisted that any agreement must include a complete halt to Tehran’s enrichment program — a position the White House has called a “red line.”
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