Trump's negotiators, including vice president JD Vance and special envoy Steve Witkoff, initially received approvals for a 'cash for uranium' deal, which would involve the US releasing $20 billion in frozen funds in exchange for Iran's enriched uranium stockpile.
Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko ordered the release of 250 political prisoners on Thursday in exchange for easing sanctions from Washington, according to the US embassy in nearby Lithuania. It is reportedly the largest one-time release of its kind so far, as Belarus is ramping up efforts to normalize ties with the United States.
So, we have sanctions on some countries. We're going to take those sanctions off until this straightens out, Trump said at a news conference at his golf club in Miami, Florida. Then, who knows, maybe we won't have to put them on there'll be so much peace, he said.
US and Iranian officials are meeting in Switzerland for a second round of negotiations over a deal aimed at curbing Tehran's nuclear program and averting war. The sides held indirect talks earlier this month in Oman, the first since Israel and the United States bombed Iran's key nuclear sites during a brief conflict in June. The talks come amid a major American military buildup in the Middle East.