U.S. President Donald Trump said he feels less confident about reaching a nuclear deal with Iran. In a recent podcast, he admitted his optimism has declined over the past few months. Trump said Iran seems to be delaying negotiations and showed less enthusiasm for an agreement.
He emphasized that Washington will never allow Iran to develop nuclear weapons. However, Trump prefers to avoid war and resolve the issue peacefully. He discussed the matter with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and described talks with Iran as “tough.”
Iran insists it wants only peaceful nuclear energy and denies any plan to build nuclear weapons. Meanwhile, Russia offered to help ease tensions by removing highly enriched uranium from Iran. Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov said Moscow can convert uranium into reactor fuel as part of a solution.
Ryabkov stressed that Russia aims to support both Washington and Tehran practically and politically. He suggested this could help move negotiations forward and prevent conflict. However, it remains unclear if the fuel would return to Iran for its civilian nuclear program.
Trump withdrew the U.S. from the 2015 Iran nuclear deal during his first term. The original deal limited Iran’s uranium enrichment in exchange for sanction relief. Now, amid rising tensions, the future of any new agreement remains uncertain.