Iran Deal Negotiations — Donald Trump revealed Tuesday that he stood one hour away from ordering a resumption of military strikes against Iran before pulling back, granting Tehran a narrow window of days to return to the negotiating table in what has become one of the most volatile diplomatic standoffs of his presidency.
The disclosure came as the United States and Israel maintained a pause in hostilities that began on April 8, roughly six weeks after the two allies launched coordinated attacks against Iran on February 28. A naval blockade of Iranian ports has continued throughout the ceasefire, sustaining economic pressure on Tehran even as diplomats scramble to broker a lasting agreement.
Trump told reporters the deadline for Iran’s response remained deliberately vague. ‘Maybe Friday, Saturday, Sunday — something — maybe early next week,’ he said, describing it as ‘a limited period of time.’ The remarks followed his Sunday warning that ‘the clock is ticking’ for Tehran, and came after he confirmed on Monday that renewed strikes had been placed ‘on hold’ at the request of Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates — three Gulf states with significant stakes in regional stability.
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Iran’s state-linked Tasnim News Agency reported Monday that Tehran had submitted a revised 14-point peace plan to end the conflict. By Thursday, Iranian officials confirmed they had received Washington’s formal response to the proposal and were reviewing it. The exchange represents the most substantive diplomatic contact between the two sides since the fighting began, though enormous gaps remain.
Chief among the sticking points is the fate of Iran’s stockpile of highly enriched uranium. Trump pledged Thursday to take possession of the material as part of any final agreement — a demand Tehran has flatly rejected as a non-starter. Trump also dismissed any possibility of Iran imposing tolls on shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, the critical waterway through which roughly a fifth of the world’s oil supply passes.
On Wednesday, Trump offered a blunt assessment of where negotiations stood: ‘We’re in the final stages of Iran. We’ll see what happens. Either have a deal, or we’re going to do some things that are a little bit nasty.’
The diplomatic maneuvering is unfolding against a backdrop of visible tension between Washington and Jerusalem. Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu were reported to be at loggerheads during a phone call Tuesday, with Netanyahu pressing for an immediate resumption of strikes while Trump resisted, preferring to exhaust diplomatic options first. By Wednesday, Trump appeared to publicly assert dominance over his ally, saying of Netanyahu: ‘He’s a very good man, he’ll do whatever I want him to do.’
Trump’s posture has not been uniformly restrained. He reposted an op-ed by Richard Goldberg, a senior adviser at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies — a pro-Israel think tank — titled ‘Here’s how to crush Tehran in three moves,’ a signal that hardline options remain firmly on the table.
Iran Deal Negotiations: Regional Implications
The conflict itself erupted amid ongoing nuclear negotiations, echoing the collapse of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, which Trump abandoned in 2018. Before the current ceasefire, Trump issued stark warnings that a ‘whole civilisation will die’ if Iran failed to reach a deal — language that alarmed regional governments and international observers alike.
The timeline has already stretched well beyond initial projections. On March 1, Trump declared the war against Iran would be over in ‘four to five weeks.’ Eleven weeks have since elapsed, with no resolution in sight and the fundamental disputes — uranium enrichment, regional influence, and the terms of any lasting security arrangement — still unresolved.
The stakes extend far beyond the two combatants. A breakdown in talks risks drawing Gulf states deeper into the conflict, disrupting global energy markets, and destabilising a region already fractured by years of proxy warfare. For now, the ceasefire holds — but only just, and only for a few more days.
