Trump says negotiations with Iran going ‘extremely well,’ ceasefire could be soon

U.S. President Donald Trump said on Sunday evening that direct negotiations with Iran were ongoing and that a deal with Tehran could be close.

Speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One, Trump said negotiations were going “extremely well,” and that a deal with Iran was possible, touting “regime change” in Tehran after U.S. strikes killed several top Iranian officials in the past month.

“I think we’ll make a deal with them, but it’s possible we won’t,” the president said. Responding to a reporter’s question, Trump said “I do see a deal with Iran, could be soon,” although he did not offer a specific timeline.

Iran has largely denied that direct talks with Washington had taken place since the late-February onset of the war, and has called for a cessation in hostilities before any negotiations can take place.

Trump declined to answer whether the U.S. would put boots on the ground in Iran, claiming that Washington was “weeks ahead of schedule” with Iran, and had wiped out Tehran’s air force, navy, and missile launch capabilities.

He claimed that Tehran had allowed about 20 oil tankers to pass through the Strait of Hormuz claimed concessions to the United States. Reports over the weekend said Iran had allowed 20 Pakistani-flagged vessels to pass through the Strait.

“We are negotiating with (Iran) directly and indirectly… they gave us 20 boats of oil, big big boats of oil going through the Hormuz Strait,” Trump told reporters, adding that the movement would start tomorrow morning.

Hostilities in the Middle East continued over the weekend, with an attack by Yemen’s Houthis against Israel pointing to a new front in the conflict. Iran and Israel also continued to trade strikes, while the U.S. was seen deploying thousands of troops to the Middle East.