Momentum is building toward US-Iran peace talks over the weekend following a possible agreement over Tehran’s nuclear programme and the ceasefire in Lebanon.

US President Donald Trump said talks with Iran could take place over the weekend, signalling growing confidence that a deal may be within reach. 

“We’re going to see what happens. But I think we’re very close to making a deal with Iran,” he told reporters, later adding that the conflict “should be ending pretty soon.”

According to officials and sources familiar with the negotiations, Iran has indicated a willingness to forgo nuclear weapons for many years — a central demand from Washington and long the most contentious issue in the talks.

However, differences remain over the scope and duration of restrictions. The United States is pushing for a long-term halt to uranium enrichment, while Iran has proposed a shorter timeframe of three to five years. Disagreement also persists over the fate of Iran’s stockpile of highly enriched uranium and the sequencing of sanctions relief.

There are tentative signs of compromise. Iranian officials are said to be considering shipping out part of their enriched uranium stockpile — a shift from earlier positions — while Washington is weighing sanctions relief and the unfreezing of Iranian assets as part of a potential deal.

Mediation efforts, particularly by Pakistan, have helped narrow gaps on some of the more contentious issues, though officials on both sides caution that fundamental differences remain unresolved.