Trump tells Gulf leaders Iran must end support of proxies under nuclear deal

US President Donald Trump told Gulf leaders on Wednesday that he urgently wants “to make a deal” with Iran to wind down its nuclear program, but that 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,” Trump said in remarks at a meeting of leaders from the Gulf Cooperation Council hosted by Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in Riyadh. “They cannot have a nuclear weapon.”

The US and Iran have engaged in four rounds of talks since early last month, focused on Iran’s nuclear program. Trump has repeatedly said he believes brokering a deal is possible, but that the window is closing.

The president’s strongly worded push on Iran to cease support of Hamas in Gaza, Hezbollah in Lebanon, and the Houthis in Yemen comes after its proxy network suffered significant setbacks in the 19 months since Hamas launched its devastating October 7, 2023, attack on Israel, triggering war in the Gaza Strip.

In Iran, Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi called Trump’s remarks “deceitful” but did not directly address the US leader’s call on Iran to cease support of proxy groups.

“What he stated about willing of the regional nations for a progressive, flourishing path, is the same path that people of Iran decided through their revolution, indeed, for having a fully independent, democratic, free, wealthy and advanced country,” Araghchi said.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, left, speaks with his Emirati counterpart Sheik Abdullah bin Zayed al-Nahyan during a meeting, in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, May 12, 2025. (Iranian Foreign Ministry via AP)

Both Hezbollah and the Houthis attacked Israel with rockets and drones in support of Gaza shortly after the October 7 onslaught. The fighting with Hezbollah escalated into open war in September, which ended with a ceasefire last November after Israel decimated the terror group’s leadership and resources.

The Houthis are still firing at Israel and though most missiles and drones have been thwarted by air defense systems — including a missile on Wednesday morning — some have slipped through, killing a person in Tel Aviv and causing damage on other occasions. Last week, a missile hit within the grounds of Ben Gurion Airport, prompting international carriers to halt flights to Israel. Retaliatory Israeli airstrikes have destroyed significant Houthi-controlled infrastructure in Yemen.

Trump in March ordered the US to carry out intensive strikes on the Houthis, citing the group’s attacks on shipping in the Red Sea as part of its campaign against Israel, disrupting a vital global sea route. Earlier this month, he announced a ceasefire agreement had been reached under which the Houthis agreed to no longer attack US Navy or American ships in the Red Sea, though they said they would continue attacking Israel.

In Riyadh, Trump also said that he believed the moment was ripe “for a [Lebanese] future free from the grip of Hezbollah terrorists.” The terror group is severely weakened after its war 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 al-Assad, whose country had served as a conduit for Iran to send arms.