President Donald Trump said Wednesday that his administration is “very close to a solution” on a nuclear agreement with Iran, CNN reported. Trump said he had personally cautioned Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu against interfering in the negotiations.
According to The New York Times, Israeli officials are concerned that Trump, eager to secure a deal he can present as tougher than the 2015 agreement brokered by the Obama administration, may be willing to let Iran retain its uranium enrichment facilities.
Last month, Netanyahu asserted that the only “good deal” would be one that dismantled all of Iran’s nuclear infrastructure, including its expansive facilities buried beneath the desert in Natanz, deep within a mountain at Fordow, and across various sites throughout the country.
Sources familiar with the negotiations echoed Trump’s optimism, telling CNN that the two sides are nearing a broad agreement that could be finalized at the next U.S.-Iran meeting, likely to take place in the Middle East.
Trump said his team is engaged in “very good discussions” with Iran, with talks over the past several weeks led by Special Envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff and facilitated by Oman.
“Right now, I think they want to make a deal. And if we can make a deal, I’d save a lot of lives,” Trump stated.
IT’S ABOUT ENRICHMENT, STUPID
The central sticking point in the negotiations remains whether Iran will be permitted to continue enriching uranium. Trump acknowledged that Iran “still has to agree to the final stages of a document.”
The Trump administration has demanded a complete halt to uranium enrichment—an issue Witkoff described as a red line, warning that it “enables weaponization.” Uranium, while essential for civilian nuclear energy, can be weaponized if enriched to high levels. Iran has significantly advanced its nuclear program in recent years but insists it is for peaceful purposes. While Iranian officials have expressed willingness to commit to refraining from enriching uranium to weapons-grade levels, they have rejected a total ban on enrichment.
Iran’s Foreign Ministry Spokesman firmly rejected reports suggesting the country might agree to halt uranium enrichment in exchange for the unfreezing of billions of dollars in assets held by the United States. Speaking to the Tehran Times following a Reuters report on the matter, spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei dismissed the claim outright.
“This report is simply false and fictitious,” Baqaei said. “Enrichment is an integral part of our peaceful nuclear program, which stems from our inalienable right under the NPT and is also enshrined in UNSC Resolution 2231.”
However, in this universe, United Nations Security Council Resolution 2231, adopted on July 20, 2015, established a framework for inspections and outlined specific limitations on Iran’s nuclear activities. It required Iran to cap its uranium enrichment at 3.67% and to conduct all enrichment-related research and development—under international safeguards—exclusively at the Natanz facility. The resolution also prohibits Iran from engaging in any enrichment or R&D activities at the Fordow site or storing nuclear material there.
However, according to multiple news reports, Iran has been enriching uranium to weapons-grade levels—around 90% U-235—far exceeding the limits imposed by Resolution 2231 and the JCPOA.
Trump, emphasizing his desire for a “very strong document,” suggested that current negotiations include provisions for expanded inspections and the dismantling of parts of Iran’s nuclear infrastructure.
“I want it very strong—where we can go in with inspectors. We can take whatever we want, we can blow up whatever we want, but nobody getting killed. We can blow up a lab, but nobody’s going to be in the lab, as opposed to everybody being in the lab and blowing it up,” Trump said.
WILL BIBI STRIKE IRAN?
Trump administration officials, including Witkoff, have publicly maintained that any Iranian uranium enrichment crosses a U.S. red line. However, Trump’s remarks on Wednesday suggested he may be open to a compromise that allows limited enrichment under strict international inspections as a way to resolve the current deadlock.
In the past, U.S. officials have also proposed that Iran import enriched uranium rather than produce it domestically—an idea Tehran has consistently rejected.
In October 2024, Israel successfully destroyed key components of Iran’s strategic air defense network, significantly weakening the systems that had shielded Iran’s nuclear facilities. This operation paved the way for Israeli aircraft to potentially approach Iranian airspace with reduced risk of being targeted.
Following Israel’s campaign that dealt a major blow to Hezbollah—eliminating the threat of the Iranian proxy targeting Israeli jets or launching retaliatory missile strikes—the Israeli leadership believes the window for decisive action is now open.
Prime Minister Netanyahu maintains that Iran’s current vulnerability won’t last and insists that now is the time for a military strike. President Trump, however, has pushed back, arguing that Iran’s weakened position presents an ideal opportunity to secure a diplomatic solution to end uranium enrichment—underpinned by the credible threat of military force if talks fail.
In this high-stakes standoff, both Israel and Iran have remained largely predictable. The wild card, however, is the man currently occupying 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue.
