Trump says US and Iran ‘getting a lot closer’ to deal

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio expressed optimism, while the Iranian foreign ministry said a draft agreement might be near

US President Donald Trump said on Saturday that the United States and Iran are “getting a lot closer” to an agreement to end the war in the Middle East.

But Trump also warned in the phone interview with CBS that if the US and Iran do not come to an agreement, “we’re going to have a situation where no country will ever be hit as hard as they’re about to be hit”.

Meanwhile, Iran said on Saturday that it was finalising a 14-point “framework agreement” for a deal with the US, but signalled that major gaps still remain.

The US president struck a less upbeat tone in another Saturday morning interview with news website Axios, saying that it was a “solid 50/50” chance of a deal being struck. Trump warned he would “blow them to kingdom come” if a deal was not reached, Axios reported.

Both outlets also reported that Trump was scheduled to speak with Gulf leaders by phone later today.

On a visit in India, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said “there may be some news a little later today,” but added, “there may not be”.