US and Iran signal progress in nuclear talks as draft framework takes shape

US President Donald Trump has said Iran is getting "a lot closer" to reaching an agreement with the United States, while Iranian officials say the two sides have narrowed differences in talks over the past week. The comments point to movement in a negotiation that has not yet produced a final deal. Both sides are still describing the process cautiously, and no agreement has been announced.

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Trump said he had seen a draft agreement with Iran, although he gave no details about its contents. He said he could not say whether it was "good enough", but insisted any deal would "absolutely" prevent Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon. Iranian foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei said the US and Iranian positions had been converging, but warned that this did not mean agreement had been reached on the key issues.

Baqaei said the two sides were working on a memorandum of understanding in the form of a framework, consisting of 14 points. He said the memorandum was being finalised so that further talks could take place within 30 to 60 days, with the aim of reaching a final agreement. Marco Rubio, the US secretary of state, also struck a cautious tone during a visit to India, saying there could be an update this weekend.

The talks matter because they go to the centre of a long-running dispute over Iran's nuclear programme and the risk of escalation between Tehran and Washington. The US position remains that Iran must not be allowed to obtain a nuclear weapon, while Iranian officials have said nuclear weapons would not be part of any initial proposals. The latest signals of progress come after a period in which the mood in Washington appeared to have worsened, with reports that the administration was preparing for a fresh round of military strikes, although no final decision had been made.

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The current negotiations also sit against a wider backdrop of pressure over Iran's nuclear activities and regional security concerns. Rubio said the US wanted Iran to turn over its highly enriched uranium, and he also referred to reopening the Strait of Hormuz without tolls from Iran. Trump, meanwhile, said he would only sign a deal where the US got "everything we want", underlining how far apart the two sides still appear on the terms of any settlement.

What remains unclear is how much substance lies behind the reported draft and whether the 14-point framework can bridge the remaining gaps. It is also not clear which issues would be left for later talks, or whether the current momentum can survive public warnings from both sides. The next signpost is whether officials provide an update in the coming days and whether the planned follow-up talks within 30 to 60 days actually take place.

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