President Donald Trump on Monday said there are “major points of agreement” between the U.S. and Iran, saying that talks will continue.
“They’re not going to have a nuclear weapon, that’s number one,” Trump told reporters in Florida. “That’s number one, two, and three. They will never have a nuclear weapon. They’ve agreed to that.”
However, according to Iranian state media, Iran’s Parliament Speaker Mohammad Qalibaf said: “No talks with the U.S. have taken place; reports claiming otherwise are fake news aimed at influencing financial and oil markets and distracting from the challenges facing the U.S. and Israel.”
Iran, in negotiations with the West, had pledged not to develop nuclear weapons. However, it continued enriching nuclear material to levels approaching weapons-grade.
Despite the U.S. intelligence community’s assessment that Iran was not pursuing a nuclear weapon following last summer’s Operation Midnight Hammer, which Trump claimed “obliterated” the country’s nuclear program, this occurred.
Trump also said he wanted to see a “very serious form of regime change” in Iran.
Iran’s foreign ministry denied any talks with the U.S., as reported by Iran’s semi-official Mehr News Agency.
Trump informed reporters that the U.S. is in communication with a “high-ranking individual” in Iran, but not the newly appointed supreme leader, Mojtaba Khamenei.
The president didn’t provide any details about the specific individuals involved in the U.S. negotiations, merely stating that he believes the person he’s negotiating with is the most respected.
However, just on Friday, Trump had expressed his frustration, stating that there were “nobody to talk to” after the U.S. and Israeli strikes resulted in the deaths of a significant portion of the Iranian leadership.
Steve Witkoff, the White House special envoy, and Jared Kushner, the president’s son-in-law, led the talks for the United States, as stated by the president.
The president expressed satisfaction with the progress made during the talks, stating that they went “perfectly” and would continue by phone on Monday. He also mentioned that a meeting would take place “soon.”
