Trump Faces Challenges in Efforts to Secure Nuclear Deal With Iran

But analysts say task might be less difficult than forging peace in Gaza and Ukraine

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President Donald Trump has turned to another high-profile challenge that could be just as elusive: curbing Iran's escalating nuclear programme.

His administration planned a second round of talks with Iran on April 19 in Rome that few thought possible after years of hostility dating back to the Republican President's first term, when he scrapped a 2015 nuclear deal and imposed a "maximum pressure" campaign of crippling sanctions.

While no one is ruling out the potential for progress after a meeting in Oman last weekend that both sides described as positive, negotiators are lowering any expectations of a swift breakthrough in the decades-long dispute.

Debate on elements of a potential nuclear deal framework is at a very early stage among Mr Trump's aides, said a source briefed on a White House meeting with the President on April 15.

The two sides could reach an interim deal ahead of a more detailed agreement, said two sources familiar with White House thinking.

Adding to regional tensions surrounding the diplomatic effort is Mr Trump's repeated threat to bomb Iran's nuclear sites if a deal cannot be reached.

That would mean that Mr Trump, who pledged in his Jan 20 inauguration speech to be a "peacemaker", could drive the US into a new conflict in the Middle East.

Mr Trump said on April 18 that he was not in a rush to strike Iran, insisting that negotiations were his first option.

"If there's a second option, I think it would be very bad for Iran," Mr Trump said during a White House meeting with Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni. "I think Iran is wanting to talk. I hope they're wanting to talk. It's going to be very good for them if they do."