Trump Voices Frustration with Iran as Mediator Oman Claims Nuclear Talks ‘Breakthrough’

ERBIL (Kurdistan24) - US President Donald Trump voiced frustration Friday over Iran’s position in nuclear negotiations, even as mediator Oman described what it called a “breakthrough” that could avert war.

Speaking after talks between the United States and Iran in Geneva, Trump said the cleric-run state was “not willing to give us what we have to have.”

“We're not exactly happy with the way they negotiated. They cannot have nuclear weapons, and we're not thrilled with the way they're negotiating,” Trump told Rahim Rashidi, Kurdistan24’s Washington bureau chief.

He later said he wants Iran to have “no enrichment” at all of uranium that could go toward a nuclear bomb, which Iran denies it is pursuing.

As Washington increases pressure, Trump has ordered what was described as the biggest military build-up in decades in the Middle East, with the USS Gerald R. Ford approaching the coast of Israel.

However, Oman, which mediated the Geneva talks, offered a more optimistic assessment. Omani Foreign Minister Badr Albusaidi said Iran had agreed to zero stockpiling of any uranium, rendering moot the question of enrichment levels.

Iran also agreed to degrade current stockpiles into fuel, Albusaidi said while in Washington meeting US Vice President JD Vance.

“If the ultimate objective is to ensure forever that Iran cannot have a nuclear bomb, I think we have cracked that problem through these negotiations by agreeing a very important breakthrough that has never been achieved any time before,” Albusaidi told CBS News program “Face the Nation.”

“If we can capture that and build on it, I think a deal is within our reach,” he said, estimating that three months would be needed to finalize an accord.

The renewed US pressure comes weeks after Iranian authorities killed thousands of people as they crushed mass protests.

Trump also said that “nobody knows” whether a US attack would bring down the Iranian government.

Meanwhile, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio will travel to Israel on Monday for talks on Iran, the State Department said. In a rare break from precedent, he will travel without reporters on his plane.

The US embassy announced it was allowing non-emergency government personnel and family members to leave Israel “due to safety risks.”

Germany issued a new advisory “urgently” discouraging travel to Israel. Britain and Canada said they were moving some diplomatic staff out of Tel Aviv as a precaution. China and Canada called on their citizens to evacuate Iran, while Britain withdrew its embassy staff from Tehran.

Beyond the nuclear file, Trump in his State of the Union address alleged Iran was developing missiles capable of striking the United States. Rubio later said it would be a “very big problem” if Iran does not discuss its missiles, while Iran has insisted that the talks focus solely on the nuclear issue.

Rubio also designated Iran a state sponsor of wrongful detentions over the jailing of US citizens.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said: “Success in this path requires seriousness and realism from the other side and avoidance of any miscalculation and excessive demands.”

The International Atomic Energy Agency confirmed it would hold technical discussions with Iran on Monday and called on Tehran to cooperate “constructively,” according to a confidential report seen by AFP.

In Tehran, some citizens voiced skepticism but hope that negotiations would bring economic relief.

“Whatever the outcome of the negotiations...it should lead to some improvement in people's economic situation. Not just a little -- it is our right,” Ali Bagheri, 34, said.

Hamid Beiranvand, 42, said Iran should “not give any concessions” as Washington “breaks promises,” but added that “everyone prefers that a war doesn't happen.”

As diplomatic efforts continue, the path forward remains uncertain, with sharp differences in tone between Washington and Muscat over the prospects of a deal.