US President Donald Trump has praised the latest round of negotiations with Iran over its nuclear programme, describing them as “very, very good” and suggesting progress was being made.
Speaking to reporters at Morristown Airport in New Jersey before boarding Air Force One, Trump welcomed what he called “real progress, serious progress” after the fifth round of indirect talks, which concluded in Rome on Friday.
The discussions, brokered by Oman, mark the highest-level engagement between Washington and Tehran since the US pulled out of the 2015 nuclear agreement during Trump’s first presidential term.
Since returning to office, Trump has reinstated his “maximum pressure” approach towards Iran, expressing support for diplomatic talks while also warning that military intervention remains an option if negotiations collapse.
Tehran is seeking a new agreement that would lift the crippling sanctions currently affecting its economy.
Despite Trump’s optimistic tone, Iran’s chief negotiator and Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi played down the outcome of the talks, describing them as complex and unlikely to be resolved in just a few sessions.
Meanwhile, Omani Foreign Minister Badr Albusaidi posted on social media that the fifth round had shown “some but not conclusive progress”, expressing hope that “remaining issues” could be clarified soon.
Trump, however, remained upbeat, hinting that a positive announcement might follow within “the next two days.”
These developments come in the lead-up to a scheduled meeting of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) in June, where Iran’s nuclear activities will be under review.
They also precede the October expiration of the 2015 deal, which had sought to reassure the US and EU that Iran was not pursuing nuclear weapons — a claim Tehran has repeatedly denied.
Under the original agreement, Iran agreed to restrict its nuclear programme in exchange for relief from international sanctions. However, in 2018, Trump unilaterally withdrew the US from the deal and reinstated sanctions.
In response, Iran gradually ramped up its nuclear activity, and is now enriching uranium to 60 percent — well above the 3.67 percent limit set by the agreement, though still below the 90 percent required to produce a nuclear weapon.
