Trump team proposes Iran talks this week on nuclear deal, ceasefire
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Iran sought US pressure on Israel for ceasefire via Gulf states, sources say
Iran has asked Qatar, Saudi Arabia and Oman to press U.S. President Donald Trump to use his influence on Israel. Gulf states are deeply concerned the conflict will spin out of control, a Gulf source close to government officials said. Oman is drafting a ceasefire proposal designed to restart talks between the U.s. and Iran on Iran’s nuclear programme, another regional source said. Iran insists its nuclear programme is civilian, not military. Israel launched a surprise attack on Iran on Friday morning that wiped out the top echelon of Iran’s military command and damaged its nuclear sites. Israel says the campaign will continue to escalate with the stated goal of eliminating Tehran’s ability to develop a nuclear weapon. Iran has vowed to “open the gates of hell” for Israel if it attacks again, but two Iranian sources said that had also signaled its willingness to halt its strikes if Israel stopped attacking because of fears the war could spread across the region. Iranian sources: Iran is willing to be flexible in the nuclear talks if a ceasefire is reached.
Item 1 of 2 A missile launched from Iran towards Israel is seen from Ramallah, Israeli-occupied West Bank, June 16. REUTERS/Mohamad Torokman
Summary Iran seeks Gulf mediation for ceasefire and nuclear talks
One source says Gulf states have appealed to Washington
Oman drafts ceasefire proposal to resume US-Iran nuclear talks
DUBAI, June 16 (Reuters) – Tehran has asked Qatar, Saudi Arabia and Oman to press U.S. President Donald Trump to use his influence on Israel to agree to an immediate ceasefire with Iran in return for Iranian flexibility in nuclear negotiations, two Iranian and three regional sources told Reuters on Monday.
Gulf leaders and their top diplomats worked the phones all weekend, speaking to each other, to Tehran, Washington and beyond in an effort to prevent a widening of the biggest ever confrontation between longstanding enemies Israel and Iran.
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Iran is willing to be flexible in the nuclear talks if a ceasefire is reached, one of the Iranian sources said.
The Gulf states are deeply concerned the conflict will spin out of control, a Gulf source close to government officials told Reuters.
Qatar, Oman and Saudi Arabia have all appealed to Washington to press Israel to agree to a ceasefire and to resume talks with Tehran towards a nuclear deal, the Gulf source said.
A regional source and an official briefed on Iran’s communications with the Gulf said Tehran had reached out to Qatar and Oman to mediate a return to nuclear talks, but insisted that a ceasefire with Israel be put in place first.
Iran made clear to Oman and Qatar that it would not negotiate while it is under attack and will only begin serious negotiations once it has finished responding to Israeli strikes, the official said.
Iran’s foreign ministry was not immediately available to respond to Reuters’ request for comment. Qatar’s foreign ministry, Oman’s ministry of information, Saudi Arabia’s international media office, the White House and the U.S. State Department did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office did not respond to a request for comment.
When asked if a diplomatic mechanism was being worked out to end the campaign, Israeli National Security Adviser Tzachi Hanegbi told Army Radio on Monday: “It is a little early for that. You don’t go to war and look to end it three days later.”
Israel launched a surprise attack on Iran on Friday morning that wiped out the top echelon of Iran’s military command and damaged its nuclear sites , and says the campaign will continue to escalate with the stated goal of eliminating Tehran’s ability to develop a nuclear weapon.
Iran insists its nuclear programme is civilian, not military.
PUSH TO RESUME TALKS
Mediator Oman is drafting a ceasefire proposal designed to restart talks between the U.S. and Iran on Iran’s nuclear programme, another regional source said.
A sixth round of US-Iran that had been planned in Muscat last Sunday was cancelled a day after Israel’s surprise attacks on Friday.
The Omani draft calls on the U.S. to accept Iran’s suspension of all nuclear enrichment for a minimum of one to three years while allowing firm inspections by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), the regional sources told Reuters.
The proposed deal would aim to build trust so Iran could enrich uranium up to a purity of 3.67% and allow an international uranium consortium to take part in Iran’s program.
That proposal overlaps with what one of the Iranian sources said Tehran could accept if Israel agreed to an immediate ceasefire: a one-year suspension of nuclear enrichment, full access to IAEA inspectors and confidence-building measures.
In return, the Iranian source said Iran expects the U.S. to recognise its right to a peaceful nuclear program and to lift sanctions.
The two Iranian sources said that Tehran had also asked Turkey to appeal to Trump and that Russian President Vladimir Putin had agreed to speak both to Trump and to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. It is unclear if Russia would play a broader diplomatic role.
The Turkish president’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Iran has vowed to “open the gates of hell” in retaliation for Israeli attacks, but the two Iranian sources said that Tehran had also signaled its willingness to halt its strikes if Israel stopped attacking.
Tehran is serious about pursuing a ceasefire because of fears the war could spread across the region with consequences that could last for decades, one of the Iranian sources said.
Reporting by Parisa Hafezi and Samia Nakhoul in Dubai and Andrew Mills in Doha; Additional reporting by Pesha Magid in Riyadh, Maayan Lubell in Jerusalem, Jonathan Spicer in Istanbul and Gram Slattery in Washington; Writing by Andrew Mills; Editing by Aidan Lewis
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Trump urges Tehran evacuation as Iran-Israel conflict enters fifth day
U.S. President Donald Trump urged Iranians to evacuate Tehran, citing what he said was the country’s rejection of a deal to curb nuclear weapons development. Air raid sirens wailed in Tel Aviv after midnight and an explosion was heard as Iranian missiles targeted the country again. Air defences were activated also in Natanz, home to key nuclear installations 320 km (200 miles) away, the Asriran news website reported. Iranian officials reported 224 deaths, mostly civilians, in five days, while Israel said 24 civilians had been killed. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi said: “Israel must halt its aggression, and absent a total cessation of military aggression against us, our responses will continue” Iran has asked Oman, Qatar and Saudi Arabia to urge Trump to pressure Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to agree to an immediate ceasefire in return for flexibility in nuclear negotiations, according to two Iranian and three regional sources. Iran says its nuclear programme is only for peaceful purposes, and that the time had expired with no deal.
White House says not true that U.S. attacking Iran
Macron says U.S. proposes ceasefire, broader discussions
Iran sought ceasefire via Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia mediation
Israeli strikes damage Iran’s Natanz uranium enrichment plant
TEL AVIV/DUBAI, June 17 (Reuters) – Israel and Iran attacked each other for a fifth straight day on Tuesday, and U.S. President Donald Trump urged Iranians to evacuate Tehran, citing what he said was the country’s rejection of a deal to curb nuclear weapons development.
Trump was due to leave the Group of Seven summit in Canada later on Monday, a day early, due to the Middle East situation, the White House said. Fox News reported he would convene his National Security Council.
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“Iran should have signed the ‘deal’ I told them to sign. What a shame, and waste of human life. Simply stated, IRAN CAN NOT HAVE A NUCLEAR WEAPON. I said it over and over again! Everyone should immediately evacuate Tehran!” Trump wrote on his Truth Social media platform.
French President Emmanuel Macron said Trump’s early departure from the G7 was positive, given the immediate objective was to get Israel and Iran to agree to a ceasefire that the U.S. had proposed.
“There is an offer that has been made, especially to have a ceasefire and to initiate broader discussions. And I think this is a very good thing,” Macron told reporters. “So now we need to see what the stakeholders will do.”
Iranian media reported explosions and heavy air defence fire in Tehran early on Tuesday. Air defences were activated also in Natanz, home to key nuclear installations 320 km (200 miles) away, the Asriran news website reported.
A White House aide said it was not true that the U.S. was attacking Iran. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth told Fox News that Trump was still aiming for a nuclear deal with Iran, while adding the U.S. would defend its assets in the region.
In Israel, air raid sirens wailed in Tel Aviv after midnight and an explosion was heard as Iranian missiles targeted the country again.
Iranian officials reported 224 deaths, mostly civilians, in five days, while Israel said 24 civilians had been killed. Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich said nearly 3,000 Israelis had been evacuated due to damage from Iranian strikes.
Sources told Reuters that Tehran had asked Oman, Qatar and Saudi Arabia to urge Trump to pressure Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to agree to an immediate ceasefire. In return, Iran would show flexibility in nuclear negotiations, according to two Iranian and three regional sources.
“If President Trump is genuine about diplomacy and interested in stopping this war, next steps are consequential,” Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi said on X. “Israel must halt its aggression, and absent a total cessation of military aggression against us, our responses will continue.”
Item 1 of 5 An attempt to intercept a missile launched from Iran is made, as seen from Hebron, in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, June 17, 2025. REUTERS/Mussa Qawasma [1/5] An attempt to intercept a missile launched from Iran is made, as seen from Hebron, in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, June 17, 2025. REUTERS/Mussa Qawasma Purchase Licensing Rights , opens new tab
Netanyahu told reporters on Monday that Israel was committed to eliminating threats posed by Iran’s nuclear and ballistic missile programs, adding, “If this can be achieved in another way—fine. But we gave it a 60-day chance.”
Speaking to Reuters on Friday, the first day of Israel’s assault, Trump said he had given the Iranians 60 days to come to an agreement to halt uranium enrichment and that the time had expired with no deal. Iran says its nuclear programme is only for peaceful purposes.
Oil prices rallied more than 2% early in Asia on Tuesday after Trump’s evacuation warning, reversing losses on Monday amid reports that Iran was seeking an end to hostilities.
CHINESE URGED TO LEAVE ISRAEL
With security concerns growing and Israeli airspace closed because of the war, the Chinese embassy in Israel urged its citizens to leave the country via land border crossings as soon as possible.
The Iran-Israel air war – the biggest battle ever between the two longtime enemies – escalated on Monday with Israel targeting Iran’s state broadcaster and uranium enrichment facilities.
Rafael Grossi, head of the International Atomic Energy Agency, told the BBC that the Natanz plant sustained extensive damage, likely destroying 15,000 centrifuges, while Iran’s Fordow plant remained largely intact.
Talks between the United States and Iran, hosted by Oman, had been scheduled for June 15 but were scrapped, with Tehran saying it could not negotiate while under attack.
Israel launched its air war with a surprise attack that has killed nearly the entire top echelon of Iran’s military commanders and its leading nuclear scientists. It says it now has control of Iranian airspace and intends to escalate the campaign in the coming days.
Trump has consistently said the Israeli assault could end quickly if Iran agreed to U.S. demands that it accept strict curbs on its nuclear programme.
“As I’ve been saying, I think a deal will be signed, or something will happen, but a deal will be signed, and I think Iran is foolish not to sign,” Trump told reporters on the sidelines of the Group of Seven summit in Canada on Monday.
A U.S. official said Trump would not sign a draft statement from G7 leaders calling for a de-escalation of the conflict. The draft statement says Iran must never have a nuclear weapon and that Israel has the right to defend itself.
Reporting by Reuters; Writing by Howard Goller, Editing by Lincoln Feast and Saad Sayeed
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Source: https://www.axios.com/2025/06/17/trump-witkoff-iran-nuclear-talks-ceasefire