President Donald Trump announced on Friday that the United States had presented Iran with a written proposal as part of ongoing nuclear discussions, cautioning that failure to act swiftly could lead to dire consequences.
Despite this, Iranian officials again denied they had received any such document.
Trump also voiced uncertainty regarding Israeli Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu’s ability to secure the release of the remaining 58 hostages being held in Gaza.
During a press briefing aboard Air Force One as he concluded his regional tour through Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates, a journalist asked whether Trump believed Netanyahu and his government could successfully rescue the hostages.
“I don’t know,” Trump answered. “We’re going to find out pretty soon. We’re going to know pretty soon.”
“They’re not in good shape,” he added. “Some of them are in better shape than others. A little bit depends on the place where they are, but we’ll be working with [Israel] to get them.”
Current assessments by Israeli intelligence suggest that 20 of the 58 captives remain alive following the recent rescue of U.S.-Israeli dual citizen Edan Alexander. Officials fear for the wellbeing of three others, while the remaining 35 hostages have been confirmed dead.
Those still believed to be alive are young men who were kidnapped during the devastating October 7, 2023, assault by Hamas, during which thousands of terrorists overran southern Israel, killing 1,200 civilians and capturing 251 hostages—a raid that ignited the current war in Gaza.
Alexander’s release, which rekindled indirect talks in Doha, was reportedly intended as a goodwill gesture to Trump, with Hamas expecting the U.S. to push Israel toward a truce. However, two Arab sources told The Times of Israel that Trump’s envoy, Steve Witkoff, assured mediators that Washington would not pressure Israel to halt its military operations. Israeli and Arab sources have said that Netanyahu’s firm commitment to continuing the war has stalled further negotiations.
Prime Minister Netanyahu, seen arriving at the Tel Aviv District Court on May 12, 2025, for a hearing in his ongoing corruption trial, remains unwavering. Hamas, meanwhile, has conditioned any future hostage releases on a full cessation of the war in Gaza—an ultimatum Netanyahu has publicly rejected. On Thursday, the terror group also threatened to derail negotiations if Israel did not resume the flow of humanitarian aid into Gaza.
Speaking at an economic summit in Abu Dhabi on Friday, Trump said, “a lot of people are starving, a lot of bad things going on” in Gaza. “Gotta get that taken care of,” he added.
Israel halted aid deliveries to the Strip on March 2, accusing Hamas of intercepting supplies for its own use. This came shortly after the collapse of the first phase of a temporary truce, which had led to the release of 33 hostages in exchange for nearly 1,900 Palestinian prisoners. Since then, Israeli leaders have refused to entertain the second phase, which would have required the IDF to withdraw from Gaza.
Although Israel maintains that sufficient aid entered during the 42-day ceasefire, military leaders have recently warned of a humanitarian disaster unfolding in Gaza, with food shortages reaching crisis levels.
In an attempt to bypass Hamas and ensure that aid reaches civilians, Israeli officials are promoting a plan where vetted individuals would collect food biweekly from designated sites in southern Gaza, protected by U.S. contractors.
While addressing the audience in Abu Dhabi, Trump confirmed that his administration had presented Iran with a proposal for a nuclear agreement, noting, “they know they have to move quickly or something bad is going to happen.”
This statement came on the heels of a report by Axios that Witkoff had handed Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi a written deal during their fourth meeting earlier this week. Iran, however, continues to deny receiving any such communication.
Following Trump’s remarks on Friday, Tehran again insisted it had not received any written proposal from Washington regarding a potential nuclear arrangement.
Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi reiterated on X that there were no proposals “whether directly or indirectly.”
Trump stated during the forum that the Iranian nuclear issue would be resolved “one way or another,” suggesting that a peaceful agreement is possible, but not guaranteed. “We are talking to them, I think they’ve come a long way,” he added.
Despite mutual public declarations favoring diplomacy, both sides remain entrenched behind firmly drawn red lines. These sticking points must be addressed before any meaningful agreement can be reached and military confrontation avoided.
Iranian officials have emphasized that one of their core conditions is reducing their stockpile of enriched uranium to levels stipulated in the 2015 nuclear accord—a deal that Trump withdrew from in 2018.
Tehran, which openly calls for Israel’s destruction, has advanced its uranium enrichment to 60 percent—a level with no civilian use—and has blocked international monitors from inspecting its nuclear sites. Netanyahu has demanded that Iran dismantle its nuclear infrastructure entirely.
Although Iranian leaders insist their intentions are peaceful, Western intelligence agencies remain skeptical. Iranian officials have increasingly hinted that, under enough international pressure, they might consider acquiring nuclear weapons.
Trump’s recent Middle East visit, which began on Tuesday, marked his first official state tour of his second term, following a brief visit to Rome last month for the funeral of Pope Francis.
Despite skipping Israel on this trip, Trump stated on Wednesday that the move should not be interpreted as a slight, adding that the journey was actually “very good for Israel.”
The president concluded his trip in Abu Dhabi on Friday with a breakfast meeting attended by regional business leaders, followed by a stop at the Abrahamic Family House—a multi-faith complex that features a mosque, a church, and a synagogue. The center, named in honor of the Abraham Accords that Trump helped broker during his first term, symbolizes the normalization agreements between Israel and several Arab nations, including the UAE.

{Matzav.com}