A US official confirmed Thursday that technical negotiations between Washington and Tehran over Iran’s nuclear program are still moving forward, even after two days of retaliatory strikes rattled the diplomatic process this week.
Speaking to ABC, the official stated, “The United States is still committed to finding a resolution, and technical talks continue. Iran can never possess a nuclear weapon.”
The official described the existing 60-day ceasefire and memorandum of understanding as “performance-based” agreements, and said Iran’s recent behavior has fallen well short of what was expected under those terms.
“Iran’s actions constitute failed performance at an unacceptable level,” the official said. “Iran’s attacks on these innocent vessels are acts of terrorism.”
The military exchanges came after the Trump administration reimposed sanctions on Iran, which responded by striking ships in the Strait of Hormuz.
At the NATO summit on Wednesday, President Donald Trump offered a sharply negative take on the state of diplomacy with Iran. When asked about the agreement, Trump did not mince words: “I think it’s over. I don’t want to deal with them anymore, they’re scum … they’re led by sick people and they’re vicious, violent people.”
Trump also accused Iranian officials of publicly denying that any negotiations had taken place. “We make a deal… They go outside, talk to the press, they say ‘we never even talked about it’. There’s something wrong with them. They’re cuckoo. As far as I’m concerned, it’s over,” he said.
Despite those strong words, Trump left the door slightly open, saying US negotiators could continue talks “if they want” — though he called further diplomacy “a waste of time.”
Trump specifically mentioned special envoy Steve Witkoff and his son-in-law Jared Kushner as those who could carry on diplomatic efforts if they chose to do so. “I’ll speak to our negotiators, if they want to negotiate they’re good people — Steve Witkoff, Jared Kushner — but they have to come back to me, as far as I’m concerned it’s just a waste of time,” Trump said.
