Iran Wants Deal, Trump Warns of Consequences if It Fails

US President Donald Trump/Photo: White House via Wikimedia Commons

JAKARTA - US President Donald Trump said Iran "really wants to reach an agreement" and warned of serious consequences if the nuclear negotiations taking place in Oman fail.

"We have to see what the deal is like. But in my opinion, Iran seems to be very eager to make a deal," Trump told reporters on Air Force One, the presidential plane, as reported by ANTARA from Anadolu, Saturday, February 7.

Trump also alluded to US military movements in the Middle East.

"We have a large fleet, and we have a large fleet of ships moving in that direction, and it will arrive soon. So, we'll see how it goes," he said.

Trump said further talks were expected early next week and warned Iran of serious consequences if the negotiations failed.

"They want to make a deal... They know the consequences if they don't," he said. "If they don't make a deal, the consequences are very severe."

Trump also stressed that there would be no deal that would allow Iran to have nuclear weapons.

"However, there is one thing, and this [is conveyed] from the beginning, there are no nuclear weapons," he said.

Trump said if the deal could have been reached two years ago, the United States would have done it, but Iran was not ready then.

"Now they are willing to do much more than a year or a year and a half ago," he said.

Trump also stressed that the latest negotiations with Iran had only been going on for about a year since the beginning of his term.

Indirect negotiations between the United States and Iran were held in Oman on Friday. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi called the talks a "good start" and said the process would continue.

Oman's Foreign Minister Badr Albusaidi said the negotiations were serious and helped clarify the positions of both parties amid rising tensions due to the threat of US military action against Iran.