-- US President Donald Trump said Thursday Iran "wants to make a deal," signaling potential progress in negotiations between the two countries.
Trump shared the remarks while speaking to reporters outside the White House, shortly after posting on Truth Social about the 10-day ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon.
He said talks between Lebanon and Israel could mark a breakthrough, noting they may meet "for the first time in 44 years... and they're probably going to do it at the White House over the next week or two."
Trump said further talks between the US and Iran could happen soon, noting negotiations may take place "probably maybe over the weekend" as discussions continue. "...I think we're very close to making a deal with Iran... I think we have a chance," the President said.
He added that Iran's stance has shifted. "Iran wants to make a deal, and we're dealing very nicely with them... And they're willing to do things today that they weren't willing to do two months ago," he said.
He added that negotiations were very successful, "I think we have a very successful negotiation going on right now, and I think if it happens, it'll be announced fairly soon, and it will give us free oil and free Hormuz Strait. Everything will be nice and I think your oil price will go down lower than it was before."
Answering a question on the 20-year limit for uranium enrichment, Trump said no limits have been finalized, stating "we haven't agreed to any point... there's no 20 year limit," while emphasizing nuclear restrictions remain central.
Trump said Iran has made commitments, adding "Iran's agreed to that, and they've agreed to it very powerfully," referring to nuclear-related assurances.
He credited US military pressure and naval actions, saying "it's a combination of about four weeks of bombing and a very powerful blockade," which he said strengthened leverage.
Trump described the current US maritime blockade's effectiveness, saying, "the blockade is maybe more powerful than the bombing."
On Hormuz, he said conditions are tightly controlled, with strict enforcement as no ships are entering or going past the Strait. "They're not doing any business. They're unable to do any business because of the blockade," Trump said.
Trump said US gasoline prices have eased in recent days, adding "Well, they're not very high, if you look at what they were supposed to be in order to get rid of a nuclear weapon... gas prices have come down very much over the last three, four days."
On high oil prices, Trump said prices were likely to ease with a deal announced soon. "If you look at the oil and you look at the price we're paying, it's about half what people thought it would be if you did what I had to do."
Arab nations are expected to help cover war costs, Trump said, adding "I think they're going to make a contribution."