Stalled End-of-War Talks: U.S. Says Iran Wants a Deal, While Iran Says It Does Not Trust the U.S.

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[The Financial News] The United States and Iran, which have entered an indefinite ceasefire, offered sharply different views on a possible end-of-war agreement. President Donald Trump claimed that Iran badly wants a deal, while the Iranian side said it has no trust at all in the United States.
According to Türkiye's Anadolu Agency (AA), Trump spoke about the end-of-war talks at a White House executive order signing ceremony on April 30 local time. He said, "The only thing I can say is that Iran very much wants a deal, and I don't want to go deeper than that." Trump also stressed the impact of the blockade, saying, "The destructive power of a blockade is truly enormous, and Iran has not earned a single penny from oil sales." He was referring to the U.S. control, in place since April 13, over vessels linked to Iran that enter or leave the Strait of Hormuz and Iranian ports.
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He added, "I hope this can be resolved very soon," expressing hope that U.S. control of the strait could help the negotiations. When asked whether the end-of-war talks had stalled, Trump said, "Iran wants to strike a deal somehow right now, but the problem is that no one really knows for sure who their leader is." He added, "That is the troublesome part."
On the same day, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said in a phone call with Republic of Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko that the United States could attack Iran during negotiations. He stressed, "The United States and the Zionists (Israel) attacked Iran twice during past (denuclearization) talks, and such actions could be repeated." He added, "Because of this precedent, Iran has complete distrust of the United States."
Also that day, Iranian media reported loud explosions over Tehran, saying they were linked to the interception of small aircraft and reconnaissance drones by air defenses.
Earlier, the United States and Israel suddenly bombed three Iranian nuclear facilities in June last year, while denuclearization talks were under way. Foreign media outlets later estimated that the collapse of underground nuclear sites buried a large amount of material used for nuclear weapons.
At a meeting with reporters on April 30, Trump referred to the buried nuclear material and said, "The United States will definitely recover the nuclear debris." He explained, "The nuclear debris is buried deep underground, so heavy equipment such as excavators would be needed to retrieve it." He added, "Whether we take it ourselves or they hand it over to us, we will get it by any means necessary."
Trump said, "Even though a military operation is under way against Iran, I think the economy is in very good shape." He added, "I do not call it a war. I call it a 'military operation.'" Russian President Vladimir Putin, who has invaded Ukraine since 2022, has also continued to describe that invasion as a 'military operation' rather than a war.
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pjw@fnnews.com Park Jong-won Reporter