US President Donald Trump has said that Washington has made "serious progress" in talks with Iran over its nuclear programme and hinted at possible de-escalation efforts in Gaza following communications with Israel and the Palestinian group Hamas.
Speaking to reporters on Sunday in Morristown, New Jersey, before returning to Washington, DC, Trump described recent discussions with Iranian officials as "very good," raising the possibility of positive developments soon.
"I think we could have some good news on the Iran front," he said. "We've had some real progress, serious progress."
A reporter then asked him whether there would be another round of talks with Iran soon.
"Very soon. I can't tell you what's going to happen tomorrow. I can tell you the Iran talks have been going very well. I'd love that to happen. Because I'd love to see no bombs dropped and a lot of people dead. I really would like to see that happen."
On the situation in Gaza, Trump said the US is also engaged in dialogue with both Hamas and Israeli officials.
"We want to see if we can stop that whole situation as quickly as possible," he added.
Trump says the situation with Iran looks "pretty good" after the White House earlier said the two sides agreed to continue talks next week.
Complex talks
Following the latest round, Iranian Foreign Minister and lead negotiator Abbas Araghchi downplayed the progress, stressing that "the negotiations are too complicated to be resolved in two or three meetings."
Omani Foreign Minister Badr Albusaidi said on X that the fifth round concluded "with some but not conclusive progress," adding that he hoped "the remaining issues" would be clarified in the coming days.
The talks came ahead of a June meeting of the UN nuclear watchdog, the Vienna-based International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), during which Iran's nuclear activities will be reviewed.
They also come before the October expiry of the 2015 accord, which aimed to allay US and European Union suspicions that Iran was seeking nuclear weapons capability, an ambition that Tehran has consistently denied.
In return for curbs on its nuclear programme, Iran had received relief from international sanctions. But the accord was torpedoed in 2018 when Trump unilaterally withdrew the United States and reimposed sanctions.
