West Asia war: Iran’s state broadcaster mocked US Donald Trump’s remarks that a peace deal is nearing, which will give them “free oil, free Hormuz strait”. 

“Building castles in the air! Or in Persian we have a similar proverb: 'The camel dreams of cottonseed; sometimes gulping it down, sometimes eating it grain by grain!',” it said. 

Trump said that Iran has agreed not to pursue nuclear weapons and is prepared to hand over its enriched uranium stockpile. Describing the prospect of a final agreement as "very good," Trump indicated that another round of talks could take place as early as the weekend.

Speaking at a press briefing, Trump mentioned that the deal currently being negotiated could extend for more than 20 years. He stated that Tehran had "agreed to almost everything" within the proposed framework. "Iran has agreed not to have a nuclear weapon; they have agreed to it very powerfully. They have agreed to give us back the nuclear dust. We have a lot of agreement with Iran, and I think something is going to happen very positively," he said.

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"There's a very good chance we're going to make a deal," he added.

On the topic of extending the ceasefire, Trump remained noncommittal, stating, "I'm not sure it needs to be extended. Iran wants to make a deal and we're dealing very nicely with them." He also mentioned that the next round of US-Iran talks could take place over the weekend.

Trump said if the deal is signed in Islamabad, then he might attend it too. 

Published on: Apr 17, 2026 10:01 AM IST