President Donald Trump told reporters at the White House that the United States is engaged in active negotiations with Iran and that Tehran has offered a ‘‘very big’’ concession tied to oil and gas.
Trump said the talks were underway and that ‘‘the other side would like to make a deal,’’ adding that multiple senior U.S. officials are involved, naming Senator Marco Rubio and Vice President JD Vance among those participating. He described an unspecified ‘‘present’’ from Iran, saying, ‘‘They did something yesterday that was amazing. They gave us a present… a very big present worth a tremendous amount of money. I’m not going to tell you what that present is, but it was oil and gas related,’’ while declining to provide further detail.
The president also portrayed Iran’s internal leadership as fractured, saying their leaders ‘‘are all gone’’ and ‘‘nobody knows who to talk to,’’ but insisting the U.S. was ‘‘talking to the right people’’ who ‘‘want to make a deal so badly.’’
Trump said planned military action was postponed because of the negotiations. ‘‘Today we were going to have the privilege of hitting a very big electric generation plant… we held off based on the fact that we are negotiating,’’ he said, indicating that a strike had been called off to allow talks to proceed.
At the same time, the president emphasized U.S. military strength, asserting American forces were operating freely over Tehran and claiming that much of Iran’s air defence and missile capability had been neutralized. He also stated that Iran had agreed not to pursue nuclear weapons, a claim for which there is no independent confirmation.
While Trump’s remarks suggest movement toward a potential agreement, Tehran has not officially confirmed that negotiations are taking place. Significant questions remain about the scope and credibility of the alleged energy concession, the identities and authority of the Iranian interlocutors, and the accuracy of the administration’s military and non-proliferation assertions.
Officials and analysts will likely seek corroboration and further details before any assessment of a deal’s terms or durability can be made.
