U.S. President Donald Trump has claimed that both the United States and Iran are "very close" to reaching a deal to end the ongoing war in the Middle East, which has now entered its 100th day. In a Sunday interview with NBC News' Meet the Press, Trump stated that Tehran has agreed in principle to abandon its nuclear weapons program.
"We're very close," Trump told NBC's Kristen Welker. "They've conceded the fact that they will not have nuclear weapons. We had a clause in there that (they) will not develop nuclear weapons. And everybody was very happy with it except me." The president indicated he is pushing for additional restrictions to prevent Iran from ever acquiring a nuclear weapon.
Trump's optimistic assessment contradicts comments from a senior advisor to Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei, who told CNN that indirect talks remain deadlocked over $24 billion in frozen Iranian assets held by the United States. Trump insisted he would not unfreeze those assets or lift any sanctions before a peace deal is finalized.
Pakistan Steps Up Mediation Efforts
The interview aired as Pakistan intensified its diplomatic push to end the conflict. Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi arrived in Tehran on Saturday, delivering a "special letter" from Pakistani army chief Syed Asim Munir to Iran's supreme leader. Naqvi also carried a message from Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif.
"I think it's a very important message," Naqvi said, according to AFP. He met with Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and passed along the letter, though no further details were released by Iran's foreign ministry.
The diplomatic effort comes amid renewed hostilities over the weekend. On Saturday, the U.S. military shot down two Iranian drones in the Strait of Hormuz, claiming they threatened international maritime traffic. Iran retaliated by firing ballistic missiles at U.S. military bases in Kuwait and Bahrain, calling the U.S. strikes a violation of the ceasefire agreement.
Trump Rules Out Immediate Troop Withdrawal
Trump told NBC he has no plans to withdraw the approximately 50,000 U.S. troops stationed in the Middle East until the war is "completed." He said he does not consider them in danger and did not rule out sending troops to retrieve Iran's nuclear stockpile, though he hopes it will be part of a negotiated settlement.
"If we make a deal that now we're friendly, we'll all go together. It'll be our equipment. We'll take it out and destroy it, whether it's on-site or whether we take it off-site," Trump said. "Now, if we don't make a deal, then we're going to take them out militarily very harshly. And we'll wait till we do that before we go, in which case we'll have safety either way."
Israel Strikes Beirut Suburbs
Adding to the regional tensions, the Israeli military struck the southern Beirut suburbs on Sunday, hitting two apartments in two buildings. The strikes came after Israel said it intercepted two projectiles launched by Hezbollah into Israeli territory. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defence Minister Israel Katz stated the military struck "terrorist" headquarters in Beirut's Dahiyeh district in apparent retaliation for Hezbollah's actions, defying a U.S. request not to attack Lebanon's capital.
Lebanon's state-run National News Agency reported at least two people killed and 11 injured in the strike. The attack follows a conditional ceasefire agreement announced by Lebanese and Israeli officials in Washington last week, which Hezbollah quickly rejected, demanding a full Israeli withdrawal from Lebanese territory.
Lebanon was drawn into the wider war when Iran-backed Hezbollah attacked Israel on March 2 in support of Iran. The conflict continues to complicate prospects for a broader U.S.-Iran peace deal.
