UNITED States (US) President Donald Trump has announced a shift in focus towards curbing Iran’s advancing nuclear programme after encountering setbacks in his efforts to swiftly deliver on campaign promises to bring peace to Gaza and Ukraine.
The ICIR reports that Trump blocked a planned Israeli strike on Iranian nuclear sites on Thursday in favour of negotiating a deal with Iran to limit its nuclear programme.
Israel had developed plans to attack the sites in May, according to the New York Times, which said the goal was to disrupt Iran’s ability to develop a nuclear weapon by a year or more.
After months of internal debate, Trump decided to seek negotiations with Iran rather than support military action.
The US and Iran held talks in Oman on April 12, and both countries described the talks as ‘positive’ and ‘constructive’.
The Trump administration announced on Thursday plans for a second round of talks with Iran, scheduled for Saturday, April 19, in Rome after years of hostility dating back to the Republican president’s first term, when he scrapped a 2015 nuclear deal and imposed a “maximum pressure” campaign of crippling sanctions.
According to Reuters, a source familiar with a White House meeting on Tuesday said discussions among Trump’s aides on the key elements of a potential framework for a nuclear deal were still in the early stages.
Meanwhile, two sources familiar with White House deliberations said the two sides might reach an interim agreement before finalising a more comprehensive deal.
However, Trump has repeatedly threatened to launch strikes on Iran’s nuclear sites if a deal fails to materialise.
On Thursday, Trump said that he was not in a hurry to strike Iran, emphasising that negotiations remained his preferred option.
“If there’s a second option, I think it would be very bad for Iran,” Trump said during a White House meeting with Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni. “I think Iran is wanting to talk. I hope they’re wanting to talk. It’s going to be very good for them if they do.”
Leading the US negotiating team is Steve Witkoff, Trump’s friend and a real estate investor with no prior diplomatic experience, who some analysts have nicknamed the administration’s “envoy for everything.”
Witkoff has been assigned the responsibility of securing a deal with Iran, as well as working to end the ongoing conflicts in Gaza and Ukraine.
The ICIR reported two weeks ago that Russia announced that it was working with the US to explore ideas for striking a peace deal in Ukraine following Trump’s expressing frustration with Vladimir Putin.
Russia’s announcement came after Trump told the media that he was furious after the Russian leader questioned the credibility of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, threatening to impose secondary tariffs of between 25 and 50 per cent on buyers of Russian oil.
However, Russia and Ukraine have continued to exchange attacks despite the United States saying that it had signed separate agreements with Moscow and Kyiv for a ceasefire in the Black Sea.
Similarly, fresh Israeli airstrikes continue in Gaza as Trump’s ceasefire negotiations hit a deadlock
Israel proposed a prolonged truce in Gaza in exchange for the release of its remaining citizens held as hostages.
Israeli officials revealed that the proposal included the return of half of the 24 hostages still believed to be alive in Gaza, nearly 18 months after they were taken by Hamas-led gunmen.
Nanji is an investigative journalist with the ICIR. She has years of experience in reporting and broadcasting human angle stories, gender inequalities, minority stories, and human rights issues.