United States President Donald Trump has insisted that Iran will not be allowed to develop a nuclear weapon, as diplomatic efforts over a new US-Iran agreement move into what he described as a “second stage” at the G7 summit in France.
“We have a deal that’s a fair deal, it’s a good deal,” Trump told reporters, though he did not provide details on what the next phase of negotiations would involve.
The comments come after Trump announced on Monday that a framework agreement to end the conflict with Iran had already been “signed.”
But Iranian officials have offered a more cautious version of events, saying formal negotiations on a final settlement are expected to begin in Switzerland on Friday.
US Vice President JD Vance said the current memorandum of understanding is still in its early form describing it as a short, general document rather than a fully developed agreement.
Behind the scenes, officials say technical talks on Iran’s nuclear programme are expected to begin this week. Any sanctions relief or release of frozen assets will depend on Iran meeting specific conditions in a final deal.
At the centre of the dispute is Iran’s uranium enrichment programme, which Western governments argue must not be allowed to reach weapons capability.
Trump also pushed back strongly on speculation that Washington might provide financial incentives to Tehran as part of the negotiations.
“That rumour is ridiculous,” he said. “We have no obligation to invest any money in Iran.”
Iran continues to maintain that its nuclear programme is for peaceful purposes. The US and Israel reject that position, accusing Tehran of seeking the capacity to build nuclear weapons.
Under the 2015 nuclear deal, Iran agreed to cap enrichment at 3.67%, a level suitable for civilian energy use. Weapons-grade uranium requires enrichment of about 90%.
After the United States withdrew from the agreement in 2018 under Trump, Iran began expanding its enrichment activities. By last year, it had reportedly reached levels of around 60%, according to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), along with a growing stockpile.
The IAEA recently confirmed limited inspections at the Bushehr nuclear power plant, but said access to other key facilities has remained restricted for nearly a year.
As negotiations continue, both sides are signalling progress but major disagreements over Iran’s nuclear capabilities remain unresolved.
