While the potential for a new agreement has sparked cautious optimism, experts argue that the path to a deal remains fraught with obstacles. Iran’s leadership has expressed reluctance to make a deal under duress while Trump’s divided administration and competing priorities on regional security and missile development could complicate efforts to reach a comprehensive accord.
After signing a national security presidential memorandum ordering tighter sanctions enforcement last Tuesday, Trump said he was doing so reluctantly for political reasons, claiming he “would much prefer” to strike a deal that guaranteed Iran would not develop nuclear warheads and let it “peacefully grow and prosper”.
In a social media post on Wednesday, Trump described reports claiming that the US was working with Israel on plans “to blow Iran into smithereens” as “greatly exaggerated”.
“We should start working on it [the agreement] immediately, and have a big Middle East celebration when it is signed and completed,” Trump said.
While the comments appeared to be a U-turn by Trump, who withdrew the US from the 2015 nuclear peace agreement with Iran during his first term as president in 2018, analysts said he has always wanted to strike a deal of his own with Iran.
