Trump says Iran has agreed to US demands. But key questions remain
President Donald Trump speaks as he presents Theodore Roosevelt’s Medal of Honor that was in the Roosevelt Room at the White House House, to be kept on display at the Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library, in Medora. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson)
US President Donald Trump said Thursday that talks with Iran are moving in the right direction, telling CNBC he believes Tehran has agreed to nearly everything Washington is asking for.
While discussing the war with Iran in a CNBC interview, Trump said: “This is not a war per se. This is the de-nuking of Iran.”
At various points in recent months, Trump has avoided calling the conflict with Iran a war.
He also said of negotiations with Iran, “I think they’ve agreed to just about everything we need.”
Trump’s stated goal is to prevent Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon, but the exact contours of any potential nuclear deal with Iran remain unclear. The president has said he wants Iran to give up all uranium enrichment, an ask that Iran has rejected in the past.Story continues below this ad
The agreement follows more than three months of conflict and several rounds of diplomacy involving regional intermediaries (AI-generated image)
What does the US actually want from Iran?
Trump has said his main goal is stopping Iran from building a nuclear weapon, not removing its government. He has asked Iran to give up uranium enrichment entirely, something Tehran has turned down before, according to CNBC.
The exact shape of any final deal is still not clear. Trump has also said the recent US military strikes left Iran’s forces badly weakened, adding that Iran still has some missiles left but the US could remove those too if needed.
Why is the next round of talks delayed?
Mediators from Qatar and Pakan said Thursday the next round of talks would happen as soon as possible, according to CBS News.
Talks are on hold while Iran holds funeral events for former Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who died in US-Israeli strikes earlier this year.Story continues below this ad
How big will the funeral be?
The funeral events run from July 4 through July 9. Iranian officials expect between 15 and 20 million mourners to attend, which would make it the largest state funeral in the country’s hory, CBS News reported.
A Shia Muslim man kisses the portrait of Iran’s late Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, displayed for sale at a market in Srinagar. (ANI Photo/File)
Khamenei, who ruled Iran for the past three decades, was killed in a US-Israeli aur strike on Tehran on February 28, 2026. The burial was initially scheduled for March. However, it was postponed as the conflict escalated.
