During a regional visit to the Gulf countries, the U.S. president signaled a nuclear negotiation with Tehran.
U.S. President Donald Trump claims that despite ongoing diplomatic obstacles, Washington has reached an agreement with Iran to resolve the long-term nuclear dispute.
"We are in the process of long-term peaceful negotiations with Iran and then heading to the United Arab Emirates," Trump said in the second leg of the Gulf Tour on Thursday.
"We are not making any nuclear dust in Iran," he said. "I think we might be close to reaching a deal without having to do that."
Trump said his optimism is based on Iran's new statement. "You may read stories about Iran today. That kind of agrees with these terms," he said.
The president has not specified what he is referring to, but Ali Shamkhani, an adviser to Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, said in an interview with the U.S. media this week that Tehran is willing to accept far-reaching restrictions on its nuclear program.
"I want them to succeed (Iran) and I want them to end up being a great country, but they can't have nuclear weapons; that's the only thing, it's simple."
Trump's remarks come as negotiations between U.S. and Iranian officials were intensified, recently held in Oman on Sunday. A U.S. official confirmed to Axios that a new proposal had been proposed to Tehran during the fourth round of negotiations.
Although both sides say they prefer diplomatic solutions, there are still serious differences.
On Tuesday, Trump called Tehran the "most destructive force" in the Middle East.
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian responded strongly to Trump’s remarks, accusing the United States of exacerbating instability in the region. "Trump thinks he can sanction and threaten us and then talk about human rights. All crime and regional instability are caused by them (the United States)," he said. "He wants to create instability within Iran."
However, some signals from Tehran suggest a possible agreement. In an interview with NBC News on Wednesday, senior adviser Shamkhani said Iran would open up containment of its nuclear program if sanctions were lifted.
According to Shamkhani, Iran is ready to work to not develop nuclear weapons, dilute its highly enriched uranium, and undergo international inspections.
Still, there are major obstacles. Washington insists that Iran has completely stopped the abundance of uranium - Iranian officials continue to refuse, calling it a "red line" that is not negotiable.
Iran is willing to lower enrichment levels and reduce inventory, but insists that the reduction is gradually gradual and no less than the restrictions set by the 2015 nuclear deal that the Trump administration abandoned in 2018.
Negotiators are also contradicting the location of Iran's transfer of excess uranium, which further complicates the negotiations.
Katar became a central player in mediation efforts between the United States and Iran, as momentum revolves around negotiations to resume nuclear deals.
Speaking in Doha, Trump said Iran should express “very thankful” to Qatar’s Emir, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, who urged U.S. leaders to avoid military action. "Iran is lucky to have Emir because he is actually fighting for them. He doesn't want us to do a vicious blow to Iran," Trump said.
Doha reported that Jazeera's Hashem Ahelbarra said that Qatar's participation is "not really new". “In the past, they played a crucial role in mediation between Iranians and Americans.”
According to Ahelbarra, there is a "strong sign" that Qatar will be "extremely involved in mediating settlements."
During his regional trip, Trump visited Saudi Arabia and met with Saudi and Syrian leaders on Wednesday before heading to Qatar.
On Thursday, he advanced towards Abu Dhabi toward U.S. troops stationed at Al Udede Air Base in Qatar. In the UAE, he is meeting with leaders of Emirati, who are lobbying Washington to support its ambitious support to position the Gulf nation as a world leader in artificial intelligence.