Daijiworld Media Network – Washington

Washington, Jun 25: US President Donald Trump on Wednesday announced that American and Iranian officials are likely to engage in talks next week, signaling a possible revival of diplomacy after the recent 12-day Israel-Iran war, which began on June 13.

The announcement came at a NATO summit in the Netherlands, as a fragile ceasefire between Israel and Iran appeared to hold despite an initial violation. Within hours of Trump declaring the truce, Iran launched a retaliatory strike that killed at least four in Beersheba, Israel.

“We’re going to talk with them next week, with Iran. We may sign an agreement—I don’t know,” Trump said at the summit. However, he showed little enthusiasm for fresh negotiations, asserting that US airstrikes had ‘obliterated’ Iran’s nuclear sites and effectively ended the war.

Iran has not confirmed the potential talks, but US Mideast envoy Steve Witkoff stated that both direct and indirect contacts between Washington and Tehran have continued in recent days.

Trump, who brokered the ceasefire on the 12th day of the conflict, said Iran was “not going to have a bomb,” adding that US strikes on Natanz, Isfahan, and Fordow had severely crippled Iran’s nuclear infrastructure. This contradicts US intelligence reports that estimate the strikes only delayed Iran’s capabilities by a few months.

“There’s exhaustion on both sides. They fought very hard and now they’re willing to go home,” Trump said, while warning that hostilities could resume.

Prior to the war, five rounds of nuclear negotiations had been held between the US and Iran. A sixth round, aimed at reviving the 2015 nuclear deal (which Trump had withdrawn from during his first term), was derailed by Israel’s surprise attack on June 13.