Fresh remarks from the White House have pushed Iran back to the center of the global agenda. Speaking before departing for Las Vegas, US President Donald Trump said negotiations with Tehran were moving forward and suggested a direct meeting could take place this weekend. While presenting an optimistic picture about a possible breakthrough, Trump also kept up his hard-line tone by warning that the war would continue if the talks collapsed.<\/p>\n
Answering questions from reporters outside the White House, Trump said contacts with Iran were continuing in an intense and productive way. He indicated that the process had entered a crucial stage and suggested positive developments could come soon.<\/p>\n
Trump<\/a> said, \u201cWe are very close to making a deal with Iran. The next direct meeting with Iran could be this weekend. We are making a lot of agreements with Iran and I think there will be very positive developments soon.\u201d<\/p>\n One of the most striking parts of Trump\u2019s remarks focused on Iran\u2019s nuclear program. The US president claimed the agreement they hoped to finalize with Tehran would include a commitment that Iran would not possess nuclear weapons.<\/p>\n Trump said the new leadership in Iran had been easier to work with and added, \u201cIt is extremely important that Iran does not have nuclear weapons and they accepted that. Iran accepted that very clearly. They also agreed to return the underground nuclear remnants to us. So we have reached common ground with Iran on many issues.\u201d<\/p>\n Trump also underlined that the diplomatic effort was not limited to direct US-Iran contacts. He said Pakistan had played an important role in helping move the process forward and publicly thanked its leadership.<\/p>\n He said, \u201cIf the agreement is signed in Islamabad, I could go there.\u201d<\/p>\n Even as he repeated that Washington and Tehran were close to an agreement, Trump continued to pair diplomacy with open threats. His comments showed that while the door to a deal remains open, pressure on Iran is still very much part of the US approach.<\/p>\n Trump said, \u201cIf there is no agreement, the war will continue.\u201d He also argued that Iran\u2019s new leaders were different from their predecessors and appeared more willing to reach an understanding.<\/p>\n Trump says chance of deal collapsing is low<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\nNuclear issue at the center of the talks<\/strong><\/h4>\n
Trump points to Pakistan\u2019s mediation role<\/strong><\/h2>\n
Deal hope paired with a war warning<\/strong><\/h3>\n