‘They want to make a deal badly’: Trump says Iran talks made progress

US President Donald Trump on Wednesday said Washington had made significant progress in talks with Iran and suggested that a possible agreement between the two sides could emerge soon, while reiterating that Tehran “cannot have a nuclear weapon”.

Speaking to reporters at the White House, Trump said the negotiations over the past 24 hours had been “very good” and indicated that diplomacy remained a viable path despite weeks of heightened tensions in the region.

“They want to make a deal badly,” Trump said. “We’ve had very good talks over the last 24 hours, and it’s very possible that we’ll make a deal.”

Rejecting suggestions that Iran had refused to engage meaningfully, Trump told a reporter: “Why do you say they refused to submit? You don’t know that.”

The US president once again stressed that preventing Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons remained Washington’s core objective.

“They can’t have nuclear weapons, it’s very simple,” Trump said.

Trump also claimed that Iran’s military infrastructure had been severely weakened during the conflict. He alleged that the country’s naval fleet, air force, missile systems and radar capabilities had suffered extensive damage.

“They had a Navy with 159 ships, and now every ship is blown to pieces and lying at the bottom of the water,” he said. “They had an Air Force, lots of planes, and they don’t have any planes.”

He further asserted that Iran’s anti-aircraft systems and missile stockpiles had been “mostly decimated”, while claiming that several senior Iranian leaders had been killed.

“Their leaders are all dead. So, I think we won,” Trump said.

Despite his remarks on Iran’s military losses, Trump maintained that diplomacy was still possible and argued that Tehran would need decades to rebuild militarily if hostilities ended now.

“If we left right now, Iran, it would take them 20 years to rebuild,” he said.

Trump declined to specify any timeline for reaching an agreement, saying negotiations would continue without a formal deadline.

“Never a deadline,” he said when asked whether the US expected a timeline for a deal with Tehran. “It’ll happen.”

The President also addressed the economic impact of the conflict, saying US markets had remained resilient despite fears of a sharp global oil shock triggered by tensions around the Strait of Hormuz.

“I thought oil prices would go to $200, $250,” Trump said. “It’s at $100 now.”

Trump further claimed that US stock markets had continued to rise during the crisis.

“The stock market is higher now than when we started this war,” he said.

He also referred to renewed interest by major American energy firms in Venezuela, saying executives from ExxonMobil and Chevron had recently held discussions at the White House.

However, Tehran pushed back against reports suggesting that a breakthrough agreement with Washington was imminent.

Iranian officials on Wednesday denied claims that the two sides had exchanged new written proposals or were close to finalising a one-page framework agreement aimed at ending hostilities.

The semi-official Fars news agency described recent media reports as “fabricated”, alleging they were intended to influence global markets and push oil prices lower rather than reflect actual diplomatic progress.

According to Fars, citing two unnamed sources, Iran had not yet responded to the latest US proposal, which was reportedly delivered through Pakistan.

Iranian foreign ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei said Tehran was still reviewing the US proposal and would respond only after completing its assessment.

Iran has repeatedly stated that while it remains open to diplomacy, any agreement must be “fair and comprehensive”.

With IANS inputs