Trump says Iran's “denuclearization” is progressing well despite recent attacks and tensions in Doha
Trump's statements come as Washington and Iran maintain indirect contacts in Qatar, amid a fragile ceasefire
Donald Trump assured this Wednesday that Iran's "denuclearization" process is going "well", despite the recent US attacks against Iranian targets and the lack of visible progress in the indirect talks held in Doha.
Before boarding the presidential plane to North Dakota, Trump told reporters that "Iran's denuclearization process is progressing well. They've had very good meetings and we'll see. We hit them very hard for three nights, but we got along very well."
The statements come after a new round of technical contacts between US and Iranian delegations in the Qatari capital, mediated by Qatar and Pakistan. According to Reuters, the talks focused mainly on maritime security in the Strait of Hormuz and mechanisms to maintain the ceasefire reached after weeks of military escalation.
The White House has maintained a dual strategy towards Tehran, with military pressure and indirect negotiation. In recent days, the United States carried out attacks against Iranian facilities related to missiles, drones and coastal radar systems, in response to incidents linked to maritime transit in the Gulf.
Despite this, Trump insisted that the bilateral relationship is going through a less tense stage. “We are getting along very well,” he said, adding that Iran “has come a long way.”
However, the same Doha talks concluded without a comprehensive agreement on the Iranian nuclear program, with contradictory messages. Trump suggested that Iran had requested the meeting in Qatar, while Iranian officials denied that version and maintained that the contacts are part of an already agreed mechanism.
The Trump administration maintains that its goal is to prevent Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons. The president has repeated in recent weeks that Tehran “is not going to have a nuclear weapon” and that its program must be dismantled through an agreement or, failing that, through more severe pressure.
However, analysts and international organizations have pointed out that, although military operations have affected Iranian facilities, there is no conclusive public evidence that the nuclear program has been completely eliminated.