WASHINGTON, D.C. (Erie News Now) — President Donald Trump is expressing renewed optimism about a possible deal to curb Iran’s nuclear efforts — even as he warns Israel not to take military action that could derail those talks. 

“Right now, I think they want to make a deal. And if we can make a deal, it’d save a lot of lives,” said President Trump. 

Officials from the U.S. and Iran have been engaging in talks about Iran’s nuclear program for several weeks. Israel has reportedly been preparing for potential strikes against Iran’s nuclear facilities if the talks are not successful. 

President Trump acknowledged Wednesday that he warned Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu against taking any actions that could upend negotiations for a new deal. 

“I said, I don't think it's appropriate right now,” said President Trump. 

The bid to negotiate a new agreement comes as the Iranian regime grapples with immense pressure, both internally and abroad. Iranian-backed proxies throughout the Middle East, including Hamas, the Houthis and Hezbollah, have weakened significantly in recent months. Experts say the regime, too, has weakened as a result. 

“The regime in Iran is in a very weak and perilous position, considering the significant protests that are occurring inside Iran against the regime. And the marker of that is obviously the executions in Iran,” said Dr. Majid Sadeghpour, the political director for the Organization of Iranian American Communities (OIAC). “In April, for example, over 110 people were executed in Iran. Just yesterday, eight people were executed in southern Iran, four of them being women. That's a marker of a very unstable, weak regime that is being confronted by the populace.” 

Sadeghpour, an expert in Iran affairs, says the most effective path toward diplomacy and democracy for Iran is to support the Iranian people and their organized resistance movement — not through force, but through political backing. 

“The regime will not fall with bombs falling from the sky, regardless of who drops them. The regime loves carnage and violence. The solution is how do we support those individuals within Iran who are able to continue to weaken this regime until it falls,” said Sadeghpour. “I think the Iranian people are our greatest leverage. They are doing the international community's bidding and actually confronting the regime.” 

Sadeghpour says a strong first step is consideration of House Resolution 166, which calls for supporting a democratic, non-nuclear Iran. The resolution has over 200 bipartisan co-sponsors in the U.S. House of Representatives. 

As far as a timeline for a new nuclear deal goes, President Trump said Wednesday a deal could be possible within the next couple of weeks, but noted that there are a lot of variables and a lot of work that still needs to be done.