US President Donald Trump is losing confidence that Iran will agree to end its uranium enrichment for a nuclear deal, Trump told the New York Post’s Pod Force One podcast on Wednesday.

When questioned if the Trump administration would successfully get Tehran to agree to a deal and shut its nuclear program, the president answered: “I don’t know. I did think so, and I’m getting less and less confident about it.”

“They seem to be delaying, and I think that’s a shame, but I’m less confident now than I would have been a couple of months ago. Something happened to them, but I am much less confident of a deal being made,” he said.

Despite losing confidence in a deal, Trump asserted that there were no concerns that Tehran would acquire nuclear weapons.

IRAN’S SUPREME leader Ali Khamenei and United States President Donald Trump. (credit: Chip Somodevilla, IIPA/Getty Images)
IRAN’S SUPREME leader Ali Khamenei and United States President Donald Trump. (credit: Chip Somodevilla, IIPA/Getty Images)
“If they don’t make a deal, they’re not going to have a nuclear weapon,” Trump asserted.

“If they do make a deal, they’re not gonna have a nuclear weapon, too, you know? But they’re not going a have a new nuclear weapon, so it’s not going to matter from that standpoint.

“But it would be nicer to do it without warfare, without people dying, it’s so much nicer to do it. But I don’t think I see the same level of enthusiasm for them to make a deal. I think they would make a mistake, but we’ll see. I guess time will tell.”

Iran's threats against the United States

If nuclear negotiations fail and conflict arises with the US, Iran would strike American bases in the region, Defense Minister Aziz Nasirzadeh said on Wednesday, days ahead of a planned sixth round of Iran-US nuclear talks.

“Some officials on the other side threaten conflict if negotiations don’t come to fruition. If a conflict is imposed on us... all US bases are within our reach and we will boldly target them in host countries,” Nasirzadeh said during a press conference.

Trump has repeatedly threatened Iran with bombing if it does not reach a new nuclear deal.

The next round of talks is due this week, with Trump saying negotiations would be held on Thursday while Tehran says they will take place on Sunday in Oman.

Iran is expected to hand a counter-proposal to a previous US offer for a nuclear deal it rejected, with Trump saying on Tuesday that Iran was becoming “much more aggressive” in nuclear talks.

Tehran and Washington have clashed on the issue of uranium enrichment on Iranian soil, which Western powers say is a potential pathway to the development of nuclear weapons. Iran holds that its nuclear program is purely for civilian purposes.

“As we resume talks on Sunday, it is clear that an agreement that can ensure the continued peaceful nature of Iran’s nuclear program is within reach – and could be achieved rapidly,” Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi said in a post on X on Wednesday.

Another sticking point in the talks has been Iran’s missile program. Ballistic missiles form an important part of Iran’s arsenal.

Nasirzadeh said that Tehran recently tested a missile with a two-ton warhead and does not accept limitations.Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei had said in February that Iran should further develop its military, including its missiles.