US President Donald Trump told reporters in Florida on Monday (March 23rd) before flying to Memphis that the United States had made significant progress in negotiations with Iran, with the two sides close to an agreement to de-escalate tensions in the Middle East.
Trump said: “We had very, very strong negotiations. We’ll see where they go. We have major points of agreement … almost all points of agreement.”
Direct negotiations with the Iranian leadership
Trump said U.S. officials were in talks with senior Iranian leaders, though he did not name them.
He added: “They want to make a deal and we are very willing to make a deal.”
According to Trump, his Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff and son-in-law Jared Kushner attended the meeting.
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Attack on Iran postponed
Trump earlier said he had ordered a five-day delay in planned US strikes on Iran’s energy infrastructure after what he described as “good and productive talks”.
Trump wrote in a post on the social network that the discussions were aimed at “a complete and total resolution of our hostilities in the Middle East.”
Oil, Hormuz and economic stakes
The US president suggested the deal could quickly stabilize global energy markets.
“The price of oil will drop like a rock once the deal is done,” Trump said, adding that the Strait of Hormuz could reopen soon if the talks succeed.
He also claimed that Iran initiated the contact to avoid potential US strikes on key infrastructure: “So tomorrow morning, sometime on their time, we were expected to blow up their largest electricity generating plant, which cost over $10 billion to build. It’s very good….Why would they want to. So they called, I didn’t call. They called.”
“They will never have a nuclear weapon”
Trump reiterated that the main goal remains to prevent Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons.
“They will never have a nuclear weapon … They agreed to that,” he said, adding that the talks included several areas of agreement.
He also warned of military action if talks collapse: “We will continue to bomb” if talks fail.
Uncertainty about Iran’s leadership
Trump said he had not heard from Iran’s Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei and expressed uncertainty about his status.
“I don’t know if he’s alive… I don’t want him killed,” Trump said.
Mode change notes
Trump has suggested possible changes in Iran’s leadership structure.
“There will be a very serious form of regime change in Iran,” he said, adding that options could include “joint leadership.”
A deal is possible but not guaranteed
Although Trump appeared optimistic, he admitted uncertainty.
“I think something like that will happen … but I can’t guarantee a deal,” he said.
If successful, he added, the deal would mark “a great start for Iran and the region.”
Iran has not yet confirmed the talks
Despite Trump’s claims, there has been no official confirmation from Tehran. Iran’s semi-official Mehr news agency said there are currently no talks between the two sides.
