Trump Hints at Possible US-Iran Talks Next Week, Downplays Nuclear Threat Amid Ceasefire

Former US President Donald Trump on Wednesday revealed that American and Iranian officials may resume direct talks next week, signaling a potential diplomatic breakthrough following the recent 12-day war between Israel and Iran that erupted on June 13.

The announcement came as a shaky ceasefire between Iran and Israel showed signs of holding, despite brief violations shortly after Trump initially declared the truce. Within hours, both nations exchanged strikes, including an Iranian missile barrage that killed at least four people in Israel’s Beersheba.

Speaking at a press conference during the NATO summit in the Netherlands, Trump said, “We’re going to talk with them next week, with Iran. We may sign an agreement — I don’t know.”

While holding open the possibility of renewed negotiations, Trump also struck a dismissive tone about further diplomacy, boasting that US airstrikes had seriously damaged Iran’s nuclear infrastructure. “The way I look at it, they fought, the war is done,” he said.

Trump, who helped broker the ceasefire on the war’s 12th day, claimed the situation was now under control. He told reporters, “Things are going very well. They’re not going to have a bomb and they’re not going to enrich.”

He reiterated his assertion that targeted US strikes had “obliterated” Iran’s nuclear facilities at Natanz, Isfahan, and Fordow — a claim disputed by American intelligence agencies, which assess the attacks only set Iran’s nuclear program back by a few months.

“I dealt with both and they’re tired, exhausted. They fought very, very hard and very viciously, very violently, and they were both satisfied to go home,” Trump said. “Can it start again? I guess someday it can. It could maybe start soon.”

Despite the former president’s optimistic framing, Tehran has yet to confirm any plans for new talks. However, US Mideast envoy Steve Witkoff acknowledged that both direct and indirect communications with Iran have been ongoing.

In the months leading up to the conflict, the US and Iran had held five rounds of negotiations to revive a nuclear agreement similar to the 2015 deal that Trump abandoned during his presidency. A sixth round had been scheduled before hostilities broke out on June 13.

Though the ceasefire has brought a pause in violence, Iran continues to insist that it will not surrender its nuclear ambitions — casting uncertainty over the prospects for lasting peace.