In brief
- US President Donald Trump says he has told representatives to not rush a peace deal with Iran to end the war in the Middle East.
- It comes a day after he said the two sides had “largely negotiated” a memorandum of understanding.
President Donald Trump has emphasized that the United States is in no hurry to finalize any agreement with Iran. While there was initial optimism about progress, his administration has tempered expectations for a swift resolution to the ongoing three-month conflict that had been highlighted the previous day.
Trump asserted via a post on Truth Social Monday morning that the blockade on Iranian vessels in the Strait of Hormuz would persist “until an agreement is reached, certified, and signed.”
He mentioned, “The negotiations are advancing in a structured and productive fashion, and I have directed my team to avoid rushing into a deal.”
He added, “It is crucial for both parties to deliberate thoroughly and ensure the agreement is sound.”
Iran’s government has yet to respond officially. However, Tasnim news agency, associated with Iran’s Revolutionary Guards, indicated that the U.S. continues to block certain aspects of a possible agreement, particularly concerning Iran’s request to unfreeze assets.
A day earlier, Trump said the US and Iran had “largely negotiated” a memorandum of understanding on a peace deal that would reopen the Strait of Hormuz, which before the conflict carried one-fifth of global oil and liquefied natural gas shipments.
Trump, whose approval ratings have been hit by the war’s impact on US energy prices, has repeatedly played up the prospect of an agreement to end the conflict that the US and Israel started on 28 February. A tenuous ceasefire has been in place since early April.
The two sides remain at odds on several difficult issues, such as Iran’s nuclear ambitions, Israel’s war in Lebanon with the Iranian-backed Hezbollah militia and Iran’s demands for the lifting of sanctions and the release of tens of billions of dollars of Iranian oil revenues frozen in foreign banks.
‘Practical considerations’ unresolved
A senior Trump administration official told reporters an agreement would not be signed on Sunday, saying the Iranian system did not move fast enough.
But he outlined what he said were the latest contours of what was being negotiated.
The official, speaking on the condition of anonymity, said Iran had agreed “in principle” to open the Strait of Hormuz, in exchange for the United States lifting its naval blockade, and to dispose of Iran’s highly enriched uranium.
He said the US understood Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei had endorsed the broad template of the deal.
There was no immediate confirmation from Iran or elaboration on what an “in principle” agreement meant.
The US official said the US envisioned first reopening the strait and lifting the US naval blockade.
That would “take that economic pressure out of the world economy, and then you negotiate the mechanism by which they will give up various parts of the nuclear programme, and yes, of course, we would contemplate some time limit,” the official said.
Negotiating the details of the nuclear measures would take more time, he said.
He pushed back on suggestions that Iran has not accepted disposing of its stockpiled enriched uranium.
“It’s a question about how,” the official said, adding “there are a number of practical considerations”.
Iranian sources had told Reuters that in future stages, “feasible formulas” could be found to resolve the dispute over its highly enriched uranium stockpile, including diluting the material under the supervision of the UN nuclear watchdog.
Iran has long denied US and Israeli accusations that it is pursuing nuclear weapons and says it has a right to enrich uranium for civilian purposes. However, the purity it has achieved far exceeds that needed for power generation.
In another potential stumbling block, an Iranian military adviser to Khamenei said Iran had the legal right to manage the Strait of Hormuz, though it was not clear if that meant continuing to decide which ships can go through.
For the latest from SBS News, download our app and subscribe to our newsletter.