U.S. President Donald Trump drew a firm line in his latest interview with NBC News’ “Meet the Press” on unfreezing Iranian assets and lifting sanctions on Tehran, saying such measures could occur only after the two sides reach a peace agreement.
“It comes after,” Trump told the network when asked about Iran’s demand for sanctions relief and access to frozen assets.
The same day Trump’s interview aired, Pakistan’s Interior Minister and Special Envoy Mohsin Naqvi met Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi in Tehran to deliver a special message from Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif to Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei.
Islamabad has been actively engaged in diplomatic efforts aimed at reducing tensions and encouraging dialogue between Tehran and Washington as both sides seek a negotiated settlement to the crisis.
The talks have recently hit a stalemate over key disagreements. While the United States wants Iran to permanently renounce any ambition to acquire nuclear weapons and accept strict limitations on its nuclear program, Tehran has insisted that any agreement must include the lifting of U.S. sanctions and the release of billions of dollars in frozen Iranian assets held abroad.
.@POTUS on the Iranian regime: “It’s a very hard thing for them… There are things they never thought they’d be doing that they’re going to have to do. They’ve got no choice. And it takes a little while — you’re talking about 47 years of getting away with whatever they wanted.” https://t.co/vBzPYzutc0 pic.twitter.com/YTYG1DYvCN
— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) June 7, 2026
Diplomatic efforts have become increasingly urgent amid mounting regional tensions. The negotiations have been overshadowed by Israel’s military campaign against Iran-backed Hezbollah in Lebanon and periodic exchanges of fire around the Strait of Hormuz, raising fears that the conflict could spiral into a broader regional war.
Analysts warn that any escalation could have far-reaching consequences for the global economy. Disruptions to shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, a vital corridor for global oil supplies and international trade, could trigger sharp increases in energy prices, disrupt supply chains and add to inflationary pressures worldwide.
“Yeah. If they behave, if they do a good job, we start talking. Yeah,” Trump added.
He also noted that he is not seeking to include Lebanon in any short-term agreement with Tehran.
“We’re very close to a deal, or I’m going to blow the hell out of them,” Trump said, despite reports that the two sides remain deadlocked over a framework for further negotiations aimed at ending the conflict.
Pakistan Sends Special Message to Iran’s Supreme Leader Amid Deadlock in US-Iran Talks
American and Israeli forces launched strikes on Iran on February 28. In retaliation, Iran targeted its energy-rich Gulf neighbors, accusing them of facilitating the attacks.
During the interview, Trump indicated that he would be willing to speak with Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei, who succeeded his father, Ali Khamenei, after the elder leader was killed on the first day of the conflict.
“I don’t want to say whether or not I know where he is, but there’s a good probability that I do,” Trump said about Mojtaba Khamenei’s whereabouts amid reports that he was seriously wounded in the attack and has not made a public appearance since assuming leadership of the country.
Trump also said Washington would work with Iran to retrieve and destroy its highly enriched uranium if the two sides reach a deal.
“If we make a deal and we’re now friendly, we’ll all go together. It’ll be our equipment. We’ll take it out and destroy it, whether it’s on-site or whether we take it off-site,” Trump said.
“And we will go with them, or without them. But we won’t have people shooting at us, OK?” he added. “Now, if we don’t make a deal, then we’re going to take them out militarily, very harshly. And we’ll wait until we do that before we go, in which case we’ll have safety either way.”
According to the network, Trump said the United States could monitor Iran’s nuclear activities because it has “cameras up in space” through the U.S. Space Force.
“You know, we have cameras on it, all over it. If anybody walked there, if you walked over there, I would be able to read your first name on your lapel,” he said.
“And these are cameras up in space. It’s pretty amazing technology.”
Trump indicated that U.S. troops would remain in the region until the mission’s “completion.”
“We have a couple of points. They don’t even seem like big points,” he said. “They’ve conceded the fact that they will not have nuclear weapons. We had a clause in there that they will not develop nuclear weapons. And everybody was very happy with it except me.”
Trump provided further details on the negotiations, saying he wanted to ensure Iran could not obtain nuclear weapons by any means.
“And I said, ‘Well, what happens if they don’t develop them but go out and purchase them? They acquire them?’ I want to put the words ‘buy,’ ‘purchase,’ and ‘acquire’ in there,” he said. “You’ve got to have that in there, too, because that’s not developing. So they don’t have the right to develop, purchase, acquire, or buy.”
He added that Iranian negotiators initially pushed back “a little bit” on his demand.
“And then they didn’t,” Trump said.
Kiran Asim is a writer who covers the U.S., Europe, South Asia, and the Middle East. Her reports and analyses look at the geostrategic issues and contemporary developments and their economic and political implications. She also writes about society and education.
