Trump says the United States and Iran are close to reaching a nuclear agreement, and international oil prices responded by falling 3%.

President Donald Trump said the United States may be close to reaching a nuclear agreement with Iran. Trump said at an event with business leaders in Qatar on Thursday: "I think we might be near an agreement. You may have read reports that Iran has agreed to these terms." According to reports, on May 14th local time, Ali Shamkhani, a senior advisor to Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, said in an interview that Iran is willing to destroy its stockpile of highly enriched uranium that could be used for weapons, and agrees to only enrich uranium to lower levels needed for civilian use in exchange for lifting economic sanctions on the country. Influenced by the remarks of both Trump and Shamkhani, the price of Brent crude oil fell by 2.8% to $64.22 per barrel. With mediation from Oman, the United States and Iran have held four rounds of talks on the Iranian nuclear issue. Trump has expressed his desire to reach an agreement to prevent Iran from developing nuclear weapons, while Tehran is seeking the lifting of harsh sanctions imposed by the US. Iranian Foreign Minister Araghchi hinted on Wednesday that there is still some distance between the two sides, and expressed hope that the US will take a "more pragmatic" approach in the next round of negotiations, which has not been scheduled yet. Araghchi also criticized Trump's recent comments on Iran's role in the tense situation in the Middle East. Trump said on Thursday: "We are very serious about negotiations with Iran for long-term peace, and if we can achieve that, it would be great."