Trump says Iran ‘has sort of’ agreed to terms of nuclear deal

President Trump teased Thursday that the U.S. and Iran were inching closer to an agreement on a nuclear deal, saying the two sides were in “very serious negotiations” for “long-term peace.”

“You probably read today the story about Iran has sort of agreed to the terms,” Trump told reporters at a business roundtable in Qatar.

“They’re not going to make — I call it, in a friendly way, nuclear dust. We’re not going to be making any nuclear dust in Iran. And we’ve been strong. I want them to succeed. I want them to end up being a great country, frankly. But they can’t have a nuclear weapon. That’s the only thing.”

Reuters reported an Iranian source familiar with negotiations said there were still gaps between the two sides.

Officials from Iran and the U.S. have been engaged in talks in recent weeks around Tehran’s nuclear program. Trump during his first term withdrew the U.S. from the Obama-era Iran nuclear deal, which had offered sanctions relief in exchange for limits on its nuclear program.

The president has taken a softer tone toward Iran and signaled he could be open to Iran having a civilian nuclear program, but has been adamant Tehran cannot have a nuclear weapon.

Trump warned in remarks Tuesday that he would inflict “maximum pressure” on Iran if it continued to attack its neighbors.