WASHINGTON: US President Donald Trump said on Thursday that the next round of talks between the United States and Iran could take place “over the weekend” in Pakistan, expressing optimism about progress towards a potential agreement. He said that he would consider travelling to Pakistan if the US and Iran reach an agreement to end the war.
Trump said prospects for a deal were “looking very good” and added that Iran had agreed it would not develop a nuclear weapon.
On Tuesday, Trump said that peace talks between the US and Iran could resume in Pakistan “over the next two days”.
“Something could be happening over the next two days, and we’re more inclined to go there,” Trump said in an interview with the New York Post. “It’s more likely, you know why? Because the Field Marshal (Syed Asim Munir) is doing a great job,” he said.
On Wednesday, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said that a second round of peace talks between the US and Iran is likely to take place in Islamabad.
She praised Pakistan as “incredible mediators” for its role in facilitating dialogue between Washington and Tehran.
CNN reported that US Vice President JD Vance would continue with peace talks, alongside Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff and Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner.
Talking to reporters on the South Lawn of the White House today,
Trump claimed that Iran has offered not had nuclear weapons for more than 20 years.
“We have a statement, a very powerful statement, that they will not have, beyond 20 years, that they will not have nuclear weapons,” he said.
Trump hints at possible visit to Pakistan
President Trump said that he would consider travelling to Pakistan to sign a peace deal if the US and Iran reach an agreement to end the war.
“I would go to Pakistan, yeah,” he told reporters. “If the deal is signed in Islamabad, I might go.” He added, “They want me to go.”
Trump also praised the Pakistani leadership serving as intermediaries in the negotiations to end the war, saying they have “been so great.”
Trump said, “the Field Marshal (Syed Asim Munir) has been great, the Prime Minister (Shehbaz Sharif) has been really great”.
President Trump said the US has a “very good relationship” with the Iranian leadership, expressing confidence that an agreement will be reached.
“We’re close to a deal. Would I accept? Yeah, I would do that,” he told reporters.
“We’re close to a deal, we’re getting along very well with the new Iranian leaders. It really is a regime change; these are people that are a lot different from the people we were dealing with in the beginning,” Trump added.
“We have a very good relationship, and I think there is a very good chance we’re going to make a deal,” he adds.
Trump claims Iran agreed not to have nuclear weapon
Emphasising the importance of Iran not possessing a nuclear weapon, Trump says Tehran has agreed not to have one.
“Very important is that Iran does not have a nuclear weapon, and they have agreed to that. Iran has agreed to that, and they have agreed to it very powerfully,” Trump says.
“They have agreed to give us back the nuclear dust, it’s way underground because of the attack we made with the B-2 bombers,” he adds, referring to US bombing raids on Iranian nuclear facilities last summer.
Trump said that the US has a lot of agreement with Iran, and that “something’s going to happen [that is] very positive.”
Asked about the possibility of extending a ceasefire with Iran, Trump said, “We’re doing very well, I can tell you. Maybe it’ll happen before then, I’m not sure it needs to be extended”.
“Iran wants to make a deal, and we’re dealing very nicely with them,” he added. “We’ve got to have no nuclear weapons — that’s a big factor — and they’re willing to do things today that they weren’t willing to do two months ago.”
Trump said that if there’s no deal with Iran, fighting will resume. “If there’s no deal, fighting resumes,” he told reporters.
Israel-Lebanon peace talks within two weeks
President Trump called the prospect of a White House meeting between Israel and Lebanon “very exciting,” expressing optimism that the two sides could broker a peace deal.
“I think we’re going to have a meeting,” he told reporters, adding that it could take place at the White House “over the next week or two.”
The meeting, he said, would be the first in 44 years.
Trump’s invite came shortly after Israel and Lebanon agreed to a 10-day ceasefire, which he called a “very nice little package for about a week.”
If the two countries reach a permanent truce, Trump said that the agreement would include Hezbollah.
“I think we will have an agreement between Lebanon, and they’re going to take care of Hezbollah,” he said, adding that he’d be open to visiting Lebanon “at the right time.”
Trump says gas prices are ‘not very high’
Trump said that gas prices are “not very high” and suggested that oil prices would go lower than pre-war levels once a deal is reached.
“Well, they’re not very high, if you look at what they were supposed to be, in order to get rid of a nuclear weapon with the danger that entails. So the gas prices have come down very much over the last three, four days,” Trump said.
“I think we have a very successful negotiation going on right now,” Trump added.
“If it happens, it’ll be announced fairly soon, and that’ll give us free oil, free Hormuz Strait, everything will be nice. And I think your oil price will go down to lower than what it was before.”
Pakistan intensifies diplomatic efforts
Meanwhile, Pakistan has intensified diplomatic efforts to bring the US and Iran back to the negotiating table following high-stakes direct talks in Islamabad.
Pakistani government officials, cited by media reports, said Islamabad is maintaining active contact with both Washington and Tehran, urging an early resumption of dialogue before the expiry of the current ceasefire.
The efforts follow last weekend’s 21-hour Pakistan-mediated negotiations in Islamabad, which ended without a final agreement but were described as a key step in establishing a continued diplomatic track for further engagement.
Diplomats are now working to bridge differences on three key issues that stalled talks in Islamabad last weekend — Iran’s nuclear programme, the Strait of Hormuz, and compensation for wartime damages, officials said.
The initial round of negotiations, held in Islamabad, marked a rare direct engagement between Washington and Tehran after decades of hostility. While no deal was reached, both sides agreed to continue discussions.
Pakistan, which facilitated the talks, has since stepped up diplomatic efforts to sustain momentum and prevent further escalation.
US President Donald Trump said the conflict was “close to over”, expressing confidence that ongoing diplomacy could yield results.
