Trump offers Iran a ‘hand of friendship,’ but the road to peace looks rocky

After years of escalating tension and a brief but brutal conflict earlier this year, US President Donald Trump is once again signaling that he’s ready to talk to Iran.

During his visit to Israel this week, meant to mark the end of Israel’s war on Gaza, Trump surprised many by turning his focus to Tehran. Speaking before the Israeli Knesset, he extended what he called “a hand of friendship and cooperation” to Iran, even after ordering strikes on its nuclear facilities just months ago.

“We are ready when you are,” Trump told lawmakers. “It will be the best decision that Iran has ever made, and it’s going to happen.”

The comments struck a softer tone than usual for the Trump administration, which has built much of its foreign policy around “maximum pressure” on Iran. But analysts say the rhetoric and reality don’t quite match.

Despite that, Iran hasn’t slammed the door shut.

“If we receive a reasonable, balanced, and fair proposal from the Americans for negotiations, we will certainly consider it,” Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said on national television over the weekend.

Still, trust is in short supply. Talks on reviving a nuclear deal have been frozen since June, when Israel launched its offensive against Iran, just days before US and Iranian negotiators were set to meet again.

Washington’s latest position, demanding a total ban on Iranian uranium enrichment, goes further than the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), which allowed limited enrichment under international inspection. Tehran insists that full prohibition would violate its sovereign rights under the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty.