UNITED STATES President Donald Trump has indicated that negotiations with Iran are advancing, describing ongoing contacts as both direct and indirect, while expressing cautious optimism about the prospects for a deal despite intensifying conflict in the region.
Speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One on Sunday, Trump said discussions with Tehran were progressing, adding that Iran’s new leadership had adopted a more conciliatory tone.
“I think we'll make a deal with them, I'm pretty sure, but it's possible we won't,” Reuters reported him saying.
He also suggested that recent developments had fundamentally altered Iran’s political landscape, following strikes that killed senior leadership figures.
Trump described their successors as “reasonable” and reiterated that Washington was engaging with a “new group of people… that are acting very reasonable.”
The remarks came as Pakistan stepped forward to facilitate dialogue between the two sides.
Ishaq Dar said his country was preparing to host talks aimed at achieving a lasting resolution to the conflict.
“Pakistan will be honoured to host and facilitate meaningful talks between the two sides in coming days, for a comprehensive and lasting settlement of the ongoing conflict,” he said, although participation by both parties has yet to be confirmed.
At the same time, tensions remain acute. Iran’s parliamentary speaker Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf accused Washington of sending mixed signals by proposing negotiations while allegedly preparing for further military escalation.
“As long as the Americans seek Iran's surrender, our response is that we will never accept humiliation,” he said in a national address.
Trump also claimed that Iran had taken steps signalling goodwill, including allowing oil shipments to pass through the strategically vital Strait of Hormuz.
“And now, today, they gave us, as a tribute — I don't know, I can't define it exactly, but they gave us, I think out of a sign of respect, 20 boats of oil — big, big boats of oil — going through the Hormuz Strait, and that's taking place starting tomorrow morning,” Bernama quoted him saying.
He added that negotiations were progressing faster than anticipated. “We're ahead of schedule with Iran. We're weeks ahead of schedule,” he said, while maintaining that military options remain available if diplomacy fails.
Despite these signals, Iran has rejected a proposed 15-point US framework to end the conflict, insisting that any ceasefire must be on its own terms and timeline.
The war, which began with a major Israeli strike on February 28, has since spread across the Middle East, causing significant casualties, disrupting global energy supplies, and fuelling economic uncertainty worldwide. - March 30, 2026
