ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - United States President Donald Trump said on Saturday that Washington held “good talks with Iran” during indirect discussions mediated by Oman, adding that another meeting with Tehran is planned for early next week amid heightened regional tensions and longstanding disputes over Iran’s nuclear program.
“We likewise had very good talks on Iran. Iran looks like it wants to make a deal very badly,” Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One while traveling to his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida.
“We’re going to meet again early next week,” he said, adding that the United States is in no “rush” to reach an agreement and has “plenty of time.”
Trump warned that failure to secure a deal with Tehran would carry “very steep” consequences for the Islamic republic.
He added that Iran is now willing to make “much more” concessions than it was a year ago.
“If they would have offered this deal originally, it would have been accepted immediately. We will see what happens,” he said.
The first round of indirect talks between the United States and Iran was held on Friday in Muscat, Oman, under Omani mediation and focused on Tehran’s nuclear program.
Iran’s negotiating team was led by Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, while the US delegation included Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner and US Special Envoy Steve Witkoff.
Speaking on Friday, Araghchi said Iran plans to continue indirect negotiations with the United States in Oman, describing the talks as constructive.
“There was a good atmosphere… I can say it was a good start,” Araghchi told Iranian state media, adding that the discussions “were conducted indirectly.”
The diplomatic engagement comes amid rising regional tensions, including a maritime incident earlier this week in which Iran-linked armed vessels attempted to intercept a US-flagged oil tanker in the Strait of Hormuz. In a separate incident, a US warplane shot down an Iranian drone in the Arabian Sea.
Iran’s nuclear program has long been a central point of contention with Washington, which has repeatedly demanded that Tehran curb uranium enrichment. Alongside Iran’s violent crackdown on nationwide protests - despite US warnings of possible military intervention - these concerns have prompted an increased US military presence in the Gulf, fueling fears of a potential military confrontation.