Trump says he is changing tactics in Iran negotiations, while calling talks “low-key”

President Trump said he is changing tactics in negotiations with Iran, telling reporters that he was also keeping the talks “low-key,” according to NPR. The remarks mark a public adjustment to the posture the administration is taking toward an active diplomatic process, with Trump describing an added or revised negotiating point even as he indicated that he does not want the effort to become a high-profile political confrontation.

NPR reported that Trump threw out a new negotiating point during the comments, presenting it as part of his shift in approach. The administration, Trump said, is not abandoning the talks, but instead altering how the United States is framing its demands and leverage in discussions with Iranian counterparts.

In the same exchange, Trump characterized the overall diplomatic effort as ongoing but handled in a restrained manner. By describing the process as “low-keying,” Trump indicated that the administration intends to limit public messaging and avoid turning the negotiations into a constant subject of public statements, even while introducing changes to what the United States is asking for and how it is positioning its bargaining stance.

Diplomatic negotiations with Iran have often been shaped by questions of sequencing, bargaining chips, and the public alignment between negotiations and other forms of pressure. Trump’s comments, as described by NPR, fit that pattern by combining an updated demand point with a quieter presentation, a combination that can affect how counterpart teams interpret urgency, negotiating red lines, and what they believe the United States will prioritize in future exchanges.

The report does not indicate that Trump gave a detailed timeline for when the changed tactics would take effect, or that he specified the full contents of the new negotiating point beyond what he said publicly. It also does not clarify whether the adjustment will be reflected in written proposals, new bilateral or multilateral sessions, or changes to the way U.S. officials coordinate with partners involved in the broader diplomacy.

Still, because Trump’s remarks were made in public and framed as a direct change in negotiating approach, Iranian officials and U.S. negotiators are likely to treat the statement as an instruction about how the next phases of talks may be conducted. If the administration follows through by translating the new point into actionable negotiation language, the shift could alter the set of issues on which the two sides focus, and the manner in which they test each other’s flexibility.