'Clock Is Ticking': Trump Piles Pressure On Iran To Reach A Deal As Nuclear Talks Hit Deadlock

Washington: US President Donald Trump has issued a serious warning to Iran, saying time is running out for Tehran to reach a deal on its nuclear programme as negotiations remain deadlocked over uranium stockpiles, sanctions and war compensation. The US President, in a post on Truth Social, wrote, “For Iran, the Clock is Ticking, and they better get moving, FAST, or there won’t be anything left of them. TIME IS OF THE ESSENCE!”

The warning followed reports in Iranian media outlining Washington’s conditions for resuming talks. According to Fars News Agency, the US is demanding that Iran surrender 400 kg of enriched uranium, limit operations to a single nuclear facility, and accept that no compensation will be paid for war damages incurred during recent hostilities. On the other hand, Iran has rejected the terms, countering with its own demands that included sanctions relief, the release of frozen assets, compensation for damage, and recognition of its authority over the Strait of Hormuz.

Talks Hit Roadblock After Weeks Of Conflict

The peace deal negotiations between the US and Iran, brokered by Pakistan and other nations, have been on hold since last week after both sides rejected each other’s latest proposals. The impasse came after a 10-week conflict between Iran, Israel and US-linked forces that began with coordinated strikes on February 28. A ceasefire brokered earlier this year has largely held, but diplomacy has faltered over the future of Iran’s nuclear programme.

Earlier, Trump had stated, while talking to a foreign media, on Thursday, that he was “not going to be much more patient” and that Iran “should make a deal”. He also suggested that efforts to secure Iran’s enriched uranium were more about “public relations than anything else”, while reiterating that he would prefer the material under US control.

US-Iran Competing Demands And Threats

The Iranian officials have accused Washington of using diplomacy as cover for military objectives. Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmail Baqaei stated that enriched uranium was “as sacred to us as Iranian soil and will not be transferred anywhere under any circumstances”. Tehran has warned that any renewed strikes would be met with “more crushing and severe blows”.

Meanwhile, the US has linked the end of hostilities across multiple fronts to the completion of negotiations and has said that the threat of American and Israeli action would remain even after Iran met its conditions. Iran’s own preconditions included an end to conflicts in Lebanon, sanctions relief, and recognition of its sovereignty over the Strait of Hormuz.

Oil Markets On Stalled Diplomacy

The oil prices have risen to around 3% to near $109 a barrel amid concerns that the talks were going nowhere. The Strait of Hormuz remains a focal point, with Tehran previously threatening to close the waterway if the US continued its blockade of Iranian ports.

The standoff in West Asia has been attributed to the deep mistrust between Washington and Tehran, with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi saying, “We have no trust in Americans. This is a fact, and this is the main obstacle in the way of any diplomatic effort”.

Meanwhile, after Trump's latest threat to Iran, the tension in the Middle East is expected to escalate, leading to a more severe energy crisis across the globe.