Trump expects Iran deal 'in day or two' despite gaps

<p>President Trump told Axios that U.S. and Iranian negotiators will probably meet this weekend, and he expects them to hammer out a final <a href="https://www.axios.com/2026/04/17/iran-us-deal-20-billion-frozen-funds-uranium" target="_blank">deal to end the war</a>. </p><p><strong>Reality check: </strong>Multiple U.S. officials and other sources briefed on the negotiations have told Axios that while significant progress has been made and the U.S. and <a href="https://www.axios.com/world/iran" target="_blank">Iran</a> are now closing in on a three-page peace plan, gaps still remain on critical issues.</p><hr /><ul><li>Trump, who has claimed to have personally spoken with the Iranians in recent days, is clearly feeling optimistic.</li><li>"The Iranians want to meet. They want to make a deal. I think a meeting will probably take place over the weekend. I think we will get a deal in the next day or two," he said in a brief phone interview.</li></ul><p><strong>Driving the news:</strong> Axios reported on Friday that one element of the deal under discussion would have the U.S. release $20 billion in frozen Iranian funds in return for Iran giving up its stockpile of enriched uranium.</p><ul><li>The plan also involves a moratorium on Iranian enrichment.</li></ul><p><strong>What they're saying:</strong> Trump said he's not going to lift the naval blockade before a deal is reached, and he stressed he wants the Strait of Hormuz to be open for everybody.</p><ul><li>Iran announced on Friday that it would open the strait for the remainder of the ceasefire, which ends on April 21, but the details of how that will work remain unclear.</li></ul><p><strong>The big picture:</strong> Trump said the deal will "make Israel safe" and stressed "Israel is going to come out great" at the end of the war. </p><ul><li>At the same time, he made clear he wants Israeli strikes on Lebanon to end as part of the ceasefire that was announced on Thursday. </li><li>"Israel has to stop. They can't continue to blow buildings up. I am not gonna allow it," he said. </li></ul><p><strong>What to watch: </strong>On Friday evening, shortly before the interview, an Israeli drone conducted a strike in southern Lebanon. </p><ul><li>Some in the Israeli government oppose a deal and want to continue the wars in Iran and in Lebanon, though that likely won't be possible as long as Trump opposes it.</li></ul>

<p>U.S. and <a href="https://www.axios.com/world/iran" target="_blank">Iranian</a> negotiators made progress in talks on Tuesday, moving closer to a framework agreement to end the war, two U.S. officials said.</p><p><strong>Why it matters:</strong> The two adversaries — with the assistance of Pakistani, Egyptian and Turkish mediators — have been <a href="https://www.axios.com/2026/04/13/us-iran-nuclear-talks-ceasefire-deal" target="_blank">trying to bridge remaining gaps</a> and reach a deal before the ceasefire expires on April 21.</p><hr /><ul><li>A Pakistani delegation headed by Army commander Field Marshal Asim Munir arrived in Tehran on Wednesday for talks with Iranian officials.</li><li>U.S. officials and sources familiar with the mediation cautioned that a deal is not guaranteed, given the substantial differences between the two sides.</li><li>"Lets wait and see if we can get a deal. We are hopeful and accordingly trying to push with both sides," a Pakistani official said. </li></ul><p><strong>Behind the scenes:</strong> A U.S. official said President Trump's negotiating team — Vice President Vance, White House envoy Steve Witkoff and senior adviser Jared Kushner — continued making calls and exchanging draft proposals with the Iranians and mediators Tuesday.</p><ul><li>"They were on the phone and backchanneling with all the countries and they are getting closer," the U.S. official said.</li><li>A second U.S. official confirmed progress was made Tuesday.</li><li>"We want to make a deal. And parts of their government want to make a deal. Now the trick is to get the whole of government over there to make the deal," a third U.S. official said. </li></ul><p><strong>State of play:</strong> A new round of direct in-person talks will likely take place in the coming days before the ceasefire expires, U.S. officials and sources familiar with the mediation said, but no date has been set.</p><ul><li>Vance, who led the initial talks in Pakistan last week, said at a Turning Point USA event in Georgia Tuesday: "I think the people we're sitting across from wanted to make a deal. ... I feel very good about where we are."</li><li>Vance's comment is telling because the vice president was not negotiating directly with Iran's supreme leader, <a href="https://www.axios.com/2026/04/08/exclusive-how-irans-supreme-leader-reached-a-truce-with-trump" target="_blank">Mojtaba Khamenei</a>.</li></ul><p><strong>The latest: </strong>White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said in a briefing with reporters that the U.S. remains engaged in the negotiations with Iran.</p><ul><li>"These conversations are productive. We feels good about the prospects of a deal. it is in the best interests of Iran to meet the President's demands," Leavitt said.</li></ul><p><strong>Between the lines:</strong> If a framework agreement is reached, the ceasefire would need to be extended to negotiate the details of a comprehensive deal, a U.S. official and a source familiar with the mediation said.</p><ul><li>"The details are complicated — you can't do that in two days," one U.S. official said.</li><li>"The U.S. has not formally agreed to an extension of the ceasefire. There is continued engagement between the U.S. and Iran to reach a deal," a second U.S. official said.</li></ul><p><strong>Zoom in:</strong> U.S. officials say Trump's naval blockade — which has cut off Iran's oil exports — and the country's deepening economic crisis are increasing pressure on Tehran to reach a deal.</p><ul><li>"Iran has no money. They're broke. We know it. And they know we know it," one U.S. official said.</li></ul><p><strong>By the numbers</strong>: Iran exports about 1.5 million barrels of oil daily, earning roughly $140 million.</p><ul><li>"A blockade zeroes this out overnight," said <a href="https://x.com/miadmaleki/status/2043456538505883917" target="_blank">Miad Maleki</a>, a former Iran sanctions expert at the Treasury Department and now a senior fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies.</li><li>Kharg Island, which handles about 90% of Iran's oil, sits 400 miles away from the Strait of Hormuz in the Persian Gulf and would effectively shut down under the blockade.</li><li>"We don't need to invade Kharg right now. We can just strangle it," another administration official said.</li></ul><p><strong>Zoom out</strong>: If Iran can't export oil and runs out of onshore storage, it will have to halt pumping — potentially taking wells offline and causing long-term economic damage, administration officials said.</p><ul><li>"What does it say if Iran, a country the world knows for its oil, can't produce oil? It's going to be worse than Venezuela under Maduro," one official said.</li></ul><p><strong>Before the war, </strong>Iran's economy was already under severe strain from Trump's maximum pressure sanctions campaign, which drove high unemployment, gasoline shortages and food inflation. The war deepened the crisis.</p><ul><li>U.S. and Israeli airstrikes have shuttered Iran's two largest steel plants and brought its petrochemical industry to a standstill.</li><li>Sepah Bank — Iran's state-run financial institution that pays military and IRGC salaries — is under frequent cyberattack from Israeli hackers, and its digital security center was struck in a <a href="https://www.iranintl.com/en/202603119442" target="_blank">missile attack</a> last month.</li><li>Iran's internet shutdown, now in its 47th day, is costing the economy an additional $50 million daily.</li></ul>

<p>President Donald Trump said Wednesday it is possible that talks with Iran could resume in the next 36-72 hours.</p> <p>The post <a href="https://www.breitbart.com/politics/2026/04/22/trump-its-possible-iran-talks-could-resume-in-next-36-72-hours/" rel="nofollow">Report: Trump Says &#8216;It&#8217;s Possible&#8217; Iran Talks Could Resume in Next 36-72 Hours</a> appeared first on <a href="https://www.breitbart.com" rel="nofollow">Breitbart</a>.</p>

Earlier on Monday, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian also said the war “benefits no one,” multiple outlets reported.

The U.S., Israel and Iran reached a two-week ceasefire earlier this month, which has since been extended. Trump did not indicate how long the ceasefire will be in effect, but said reporting that it would last 3-5 days is "false."

President Trump signaled Wednesday morning that a second round of peace talks between the U.S. and Iran could be coming in the next “36 to 72 hours,” a day after he indefinitely extended a ceasefire in the conflict. “It’s possible!” Trump reportedly wrote in a text message to the New York Post when asked about&#8230;