Trump is optimistic about reaching an agreement, but Iran has not responded to the two key points from the U.S. side.

Author: Xiao Yanyan, Jin10 Data

Iran said on Wednesday that it is reviewing a peace plan proposed by the U.S. An informed source said that the plan will officially end the current war, but the U.S. demands that Iran pause its nuclear program and reopen the Strait of Hormuz—its two core demands—remain unresolved.

According to the Iranian Students’ News Agency (ISNA), citing remarks by a spokesperson for the Iranian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Tehran will convey its response. U.S. President Donald Trump said he believes Iran wants to reach an agreement.

“They want to reach an agreement. Over the past 24 hours, we had very good dialogue, and we are very likely to reach an agreement,” Trump told reporters on Wednesday in the Oval Office.

According to CCTV News, Trump said he is optimistic about reaching a framework agreement with Iran, believing it “could deliver results.” When asked about the specific timeframe for (reaching the agreement), Trump said he expects “about a week.”

In an interview that day, Trump expressed optimism about the prospects of an agreement between the United States and Iran, saying that a possible agreement could include Iran shipping its high-enriched uranium to the United States. Trump said he feels the United States is getting increasingly close to reaching an agreement: “I think the chances of reaching an agreement are very high,” and the two sides may reach an agreement next week to end this war.

But he also threatened: “If they don’t agree, then we’ll carry out bombing.” When asked whether a possible agreement includes Iran transferring its high-enriched uranium out of the country, or possibly shipping it to the United States, Trump replied: “Yes, it will be shipped to the United States. It’s not ‘maybe.’” Trump also said Iran will further commit to not operating underground nuclear facilities and “will, for a considerable period of time, act in good faith in complying with this arrangement.”

When pressed on whether he had received a deadline-bound response from Iran to the United States’ latest proposal, Trump implied that the timeframe is open-ended.

“There has never been a deadline. This will happen. It will happen, but there will never be a deadline,” he said. “Our status is very good. We are doing very well now, and we must get what we have to get. If we don’t do that, we’ll have to go even further. But having said that, they still want to reach an agreement.”

Trump again claimed that Iran has agreed to his top demand, namely that it will not possess nuclear weapons.

On Wednesday, Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that he and Trump agreed that all enriched uranium must be taken out of Iran to prevent it from developing a nuclear bomb.

It is worth noting that earlier that day, Trump took a more pessimistic stance on the prospects of reaching an agreement. He posted on the “Truth Social” platform threatening to restart U.S. military bombing of Iran and described the likelihood that Iran would agree to the latest U.S. proposal as a “major assumption.”

Trump has repeatedly made high-profile claims that he expects to reach an agreement to end the war that began on February 28, but so far it has not succeeded. There are still differences between the two sides on many thorny issues, including Iran’s nuclear ambitions and its control of the Strait of Hormuz. He is looking for a way out of this conflict, which has led to soaring energy prices and harmed his political standing.

Trump said he was surprised that the Iran war had not pushed up oil prices as much as expected, but even if oil prices rise to $200 per barrel, this conflict is still worth it.

On Wednesday, in the Oval Office at the White House, Trump told reporters: “I thought oil prices would go up to $200, $250. You’re all surprised, and I’m also surprised. But even if oil prices go up to $200, this war is still worth it.” The American Automobile Association (AAA) said on Wednesday that U.S. gasoline prices have surpassed $4.50 per gallon, reaching the highest level since July 2022.

An informed source said it is expected that Iran will respond within the next two days through the mediator Pakistan. Meanwhile, Iranian official media said that some parts of the U.S. proposal are still asking too much and are unrealistic for Iran.

Ebrahim Rezaei, a member of Iran’s parliament and spokesperson for the Parliament’s Foreign Policy and National Security Committee, described the current text as “more like a wishlist from Americans rather than reality.”

“In a war they are losing, Americans are not getting anything they aren’t getting in face-to-face talks,” he wrote on social media.