US President Donald Trump has said that Washington had “very good talks” with Tehran over the past 24 hours as Iran reviews a US proposal to end the war.
“It’s very possible that we’ll make a deal,” Trump told reporters at the Oval Office on Wednesday.
"We're doing very well in Iran. It's going very smoothly, and we'll see what happens. They want to make a deal, they want to negotiate," Trump added.
Iran and the US are currently working with mediators on a framework to restart negotiations aimed at ending the war and opening the Strait of Hormuz, with talks potentially beginning next week in Islamabad, the Wall Street Journal reported on Wednesday.
Trump also told Fox News' Bret Baier that he believes a potential agreement with Iran could be finalised within "a week".
"Well, I had a phone call with the president, a short time ago, and he is optimistic about this deal, this memorandum of understanding, thinks it is going to lead to things.
"He's cautiously optimistic, I should say ... I asked him what the time frame would be, he puts it at a week getting everything wrapped up," Baier said during a live news broadcast.
Freedom of navigation
Regional tensions have escalated since the US and Israel launched strikes against Iran on February 28, triggering retaliation from Tehran against Israel as well as US allies in the Gulf, along with the closure of the Strait of Hormuz.
A ceasefire took effect on April 8 through Pakistani mediation, but talks in Islamabad failed to produce a lasting agreement. The truce was later extended by Trump without a set deadline.
Since April 13, the US has enforced a naval blockade targeting maritime traffic in the Strait.
Trump announced on Tuesday that the US military will temporarily pause "Project Freedom" to restore freedom of navigation for commercial shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, while he said the US blockade will remain "in full force and effect."
