New York Times: Next Step in Iran Talks Lies with Trump

ARK News.. The New York Times reported that the next move in U.S. negotiations with Iran now rests with Donald Trump, who traveled to Florida over the weekend, citing White House officials.

According to the report, “every option carries significant political and strategic costs,” as Washington weighs its next steps.

The newspaper noted that Vice President J. D. Vance had presented Iran with a final offer to end its nuclear program, which Tehran rejected.

It added that Trump’s strategy hinges on the belief that sustained military pressure will force Iran to shift its position. However, Tehran views its resilience as a form of victory, maintaining that its losses have not weakened its stance but rather reinforced it.

The report indicated that Trump’s team is wary of being drawn into prolonged and complex negotiations, while his special envoy Steve Witkoff has argued that Iran should “simply surrender”—a scenario the paper described as unrealistic.

The New York Times also highlighted a core sticking point: Iran’s refusal to fully abandon uranium enrichment, which the United States sees as a persistent pathway to nuclear weapons capability.

Despite 38 days of conflict, the report noted that positions on both sides appear to have hardened rather than softened.

It further stated that Trump’s primary leverage remains the threat of resuming military operations, particularly as the fragile ceasefire is set to expire on April 21. However, restarting hostilities would carry heavy political and economic costs, especially given the war’s impact on energy prices and global inflation.

The reopening of the Strait of Hormuz was described as the most urgent issue, with Iran using it as a key pressure point alongside demands for compensation over wartime damage and the lifting of sanctions.

While Washington has rejected compensation claims and insists sanctions relief would only come gradually under a deal, the report concluded that both sides believe they emerged victorious from the first phase—Washington due to its military superiority, and Tehran due to its endurance—yet the reality is a political stalemate, with little willingness to compromise, leaving the path ahead open to either prolonged negotiations or renewed escalation.

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