State Department spokesman Tommy Pigott on Newsmax Wednesday voiced guarded optimism about the Trump administration's push for a nuclear deal with Iran while stressing that the U.S. is pairing diplomacy with sustained economic and military pressure as negotiations continue.
The U.S. and Iran have been engaged in intermittent indirect negotiations since April aimed at reaching a new nuclear agreement that would constrain Tehran's atomic program and curb its ballistic missile development.
That comes after the Trump administration's withdrawal from the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action and the reinstatement of "maximum pressure" sanctions.
Iran has said the newest round of indirect talks produced progress and agreement on broad "guiding principles," with Omani mediation helping shuttle messages between the sides, though key details remain unresolved.
Pigott said on "National Report" that the administration views the latest contacts with Tehran as fluid and unfinished.
"Ultimately, this is a dynamic situation," he said.
"I'm not going to get ahead of where these talks lead."
When asked where optimism about a potential agreement originates, Pigott tied it directly to President Donald Trump's approach.
"I think it comes from a clarity of purpose from President Trump," he said.
"We want to see a deal here, if possible."
Pigott described Trump as "a peacemaker" and "a dealmaker."
"He wants to see peace and deals happen when possible," he said.
"We have clear national interests that we're going to advance.
"We're clear-eyed on this."
That clarity of purpose is shaping policy not only toward Iran, but also globally, he said.
"That is motivating the entire administration when it comes to this issue, but also issues around the world in terms of advancing America's interests," Pigott said.
"The president has been very clear with his message to the regime," he continued.
"We've had a maximum pressure policy from the beginning of this administration that has been about denying the regime the revenue they need to continue their malign activities: the nuclear weapons program, the funding of terrorists, the ballistic missile program."
Pigott said Trump's willingness to use force is part of the credibility he believes can drive diplomacy.
"The president has also been very clear he wants to see a deal, but no one can doubt that the president means what he says," he said.
Pigott cited last June's Operation Midnight Hammer as evidence of that resolve, saying the White House believes pressure and negotiations can move forward at the same time.
A Congressional Research Service account of the operation described a U.S. strike on Iranian nuclear sites that involved more than 125 aircraft and roughly 75 precision weapons, including 14 massive bunker-buster munitions, in a mission U.S. officials said lasted about 25 minutes.
The talks, mediated by Oman and held in venues including Geneva, come amid heightened regional tensions that include naval drills in the Strait of Hormuz and expanded U.S. military deployments to the Middle East, with both sides asserting their demands as they seek concessions on sanctions relief and verification measures.
Asked about Iranian threats involving the Strait of Hormuz, Pigott said the administration's regional posture is meant to protect U.S. forces and interests.
"Fundamentally, as we've said here, we think that the Iranian regime needs to make a deal," he said.
"We've been very clear about their malign and destabilizing activities."
Pigott declined to detail specific contingency plans but highlighted U.S. readiness in the region.
"Our force posture in the region is there because of the interest that we have in the region," he said, adding that it's "reflective of our ability to respond if necessary."
Iran's moves have added urgency to the diplomacy after Tehran announced it temporarily closed parts of the Strait of Hormuz for a military drill in the narrow waterway that carries about 20% of the world’s oil shipments.
Pigott said he would not "preview what options the president may have or not," but he repeated his central message about the administration's approach.
"The president's been very clear on this issue from the beginning," he said.
"He wants to see a deal."
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Theodore Bunker ✉
Theodore Bunker, a Newsmax writer, has more than a decade covering news, media, and politics.
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