U.S. President Donald Trump said Monday that talks between the United States and Iran are underway and have already produced “major points of agreement,” raising the possibility of a deal in the near future.
Speaking to reporters hours after announcing he was suspending a previous ultimatum against Tehran, Trump said negotiations that began Sunday were continuing and could soon yield results if they proceed productively. He added that his envoys to the Middle East, Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, have been leading the discussions.
Trump said the talks are not being conducted with Iran’s supreme leader but with what he described as a “respected” Iranian figure, adding, “I don’t consider Khamenei’s son the leader.” He also said Iran initiated the contact and has agreed in principle to abandon nuclear weapons, stating, “They have agreed to no nuclear weapon.”
According to Trump, the emerging framework includes “15 points of agreement” and would address Iran’s enriched uranium stockpiles. He suggested the United States could take control of enriched uranium as part of a deal, and said Israel has been consulted and would be satisfied with the outcome.
Trump also linked the negotiations to the strategic Strait of Hormuz, saying it “will be opened very soon if there’s a deal.”
The president had previously threatened to target Iran’s power infrastructure if the strait was not reopened, an ultimatum he has since paused amid the talks. Defending the warning, he said striking power facilities “would be different than what Russia is doing in Ukraine.”
Asked about the possibility of deploying U.S. ground forces to Iran, Trump declined to discuss military strategy.
He also suggested the possibility of broader political change in Iran, saying the United States could “maybe find a leader like we did in Venezuela,” describing a “very serious form of regime change” that could include “maybe joint leadership.”
In Israel, officials assess that the talks may involve Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf. However, the negotiations are believed to be conducted largely through indirect channels, and it remains unclear whether U.S. officials are in direct contact with him.