By Kavita Mistry 
U.S. President Donald Trump told Gulf leaders on Wednesday (May 14, 2025) he urgently wants “to make a deal” with Iran to wind down its nuclear programme, but Tehran must end its support of proxy groups throughout the region as part of any potential agreement.
Iran “must stop sponsoring terror, halt its bloody proxy wars and permanently and verifiably cease pursuit of nuclear weapons,” Mr. Trump said in remarks at a meeting of leaders from the Gulf Cooperation Council hosted by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in the Saudi capital. “They cannot have a nuclear weapon.”
The U.S. and Iran have engaged in four rounds of talks since early last month focused on Iran’s nuclear programme. Mr. Trump has repeatedly said that he believes brokering a deal is possible but that the window is closing.
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The Republican President’s strongly worded push on Iran to cease support of Hamas in Gaza, Hezbollah in Lebanon and the Houthis in Yemen come as its proxy network has faced significant setbacks in the 19 months since Hamas launched its Oct. 7, 2023, attack on Israel.
In Iran, Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi called Mr. Trump’s remarks “deceitful” but did not directly address the U.S. leader’s call on Iran to cease support of proxy groups.
Later, Mr. Trump, in an exchange with reporters aboard Air Force One, urged Iran “to make the right decision” about its nuclear programme “because something’s going to happen one way or the other.”
“So we’ll either do it friendly or we’ll do it very unfriendly,” Mr. Trump warned. “And that won’t be pleasant.”
Mr. Trump said that he believed the moment was ripe “for a future free from the grip of Hezbollah terrorists.” Hezbollah is severely weakened after its war last year with Israel in which much of its top leadership was killed, and after losing a key ally with the fall of former Syrian President Bashar Assad, a conduit for Iran to send arms.
Mr. Trump’s comments on Iran came after he met Wednesday with Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa, a face-to-face engagement with the onetime insurgent leader who spent years imprisoned by U.S. forces after being captured in Iraq.
Mr. Trump agreed to meet al-Sharaa at the end of his stay in Saudi Arabia. He then headed to Qatar, where he is being honoured with a state visit. His Mideast tour also will take him to the United Arab Emirates later this week.
Al-Sharaa was named president of Syria in January, a month after a stunning offensive by insurgent groups led by al-Sharaa’s Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, or HTS, stormed Damascus and ended the 54-year rule of the Assad family.
Mr. Trump said he decided to meet with al-Sharaa after being encouraged to do so by Prince Mohammed and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. He also pledged to lift yearslong sanctions on Syria.
Mr. Trump told reporters that the meeting with al-Sharaa went “great” and described him as a “young, attractive guy” with a “very strong past.”
“He’s got a real shot at holding it together,” Mr. Trump said.
Prince Mohammed joined Mr. Trump and al-Sharaa for the meeting, which lasted 33 minutes. Mr. Erdogan also took part in the talks via video conference.
The Prince said Mr. Trump’s decision to engage with al-Sharaa and lift the sanctions will “alleviate the suffering of the Syrian people” and spur a “new chapter” for the nation.
Formerly known by the nom de guerre Abu Mohammed al-Golani, al-Sharaa joined the ranks of al-Qaida insurgents battling U.S. forces in Iraq after the U.S.-led invasion. He still faces a warrant for his arrest on terrorism charges in Iraq. The U.S. once offered $10 million for information about his whereabouts because of his links to al-Qaida.
Al-Sharaa returned to his home country of Syria after the conflict began in 2011 and led al-Qaida’s branch called the Nusra Front. He changed the name of his group to Hayat Tahrir al-Sham and cut links with al-Qaida.
The sanctions go back to the rule of Assad, who was ousted in December, and were intended to inflict major pain on his economy.
Both the Biden and Trump administrations left the sanctions in place after Assad’s fall as they sought to take the measure of al-Sharaa.
Published – May 14, 2025 09:29 pm IST