US President Donald Trump stated that the United States is "very close" to securing a nuclear deal with Iran, claiming Tehran had "sort of" agreed to the terms, as shown in a Qatari state media video on May 15.

"We're in very serious negotiations with Iran for long-term peace," Trump said during his tour of Gulf states, according to a pool report.

The president's comments follow fresh talks between Iranian and US negotiators in Oman on May 11, which concluded with plans for further negotiations. Officials reported progress even as Tehran publicly maintained its insistence on continuing uranium enrichment.

Despite both sides expressing a preference for a diplomatic solution to the decades-long nuclear dispute, they remain deeply divided on several red lines that negotiators must navigate to reach a new nuclear deal and prevent future military action.

"Iran should say a big thank you to the Emir [of Qatar]," Trump remarked, “Iran is very lucky to have the emir because he's actually fighting for them,” Trump said to reporters. “He doesn't want us to do a vicious blow to Iran. He says you can make a deal, you can make a deal. He's really fighting, and I really mean this,” he added.  He also noted that Iran is “a great country, but it cannot have nuclear weapons.”

Trump's comments follow hundreds of billions of dollars-worth of deals between the US and Qatar, Iran's regional neighbour. 

Qatar Airways signed a deal to purchase 210 jets from US aviation manufacturer Boeing during President Donald Trump's visit to the Persian Gulf monarchy, which the state-controlled Qatar News Agency reported on May 14.

The agreement, valued at $200bn according to Trump, was signed during a ceremony in Doha witnessed by the US president and Qatar's Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani late on May 14.