President Donald Trump On Friday morning, he said he was meeting in the situation room “to make a final decision” after listing everything that Iran must do for him to approve an agreement with end the war.
This was not immediately clear in Trump’s statement on Social truth which of its decisive conditions are already part of a preliminary agreement on which American and Iranian negotiators are currently working to end the three-month-old war.
Iran “must agree” to never have a nuclear weapon, and the Strait of Hormuz must be “immediately opened” to unrestricted maritime traffic, without imposing tolls, Trump demanded in his message.
He also said the US retaliatory naval blockade against Iran in the Gulf of Oman “will now be lifted”, although it was unclear whether he meant that this step would only be taken if preconditions were met.
Trump also said that enriched materials buried at the site of last year’s attacks on Iran’s nuclear facilities would be “unearthed” by the United States “in close coordination and collaboration with the Islamic Republic of Iran, as well as the International Atomic Energy Agency, and DESTROYED.”
“There will be no exchange of money until further notice,” Trump added. “Other points, much less important, were accepted.”
“I will meet now, in the situation room, to make a final decision,” he said.
Oil prices fell following Trump’s message.
Disputes regarding the text of a transactionThe exact terms of the deal currently under discussion are unclear. On Friday, Iranian state media outlet Fars rejected Trump’s message, saying it “raised questions that contradicted the provisions of the agreement text.”
Despite Trump’s reference to a toll-free strait, there is “no such clause in the text of the agreement,” Fars reported in a translated Telegram article, citing “informed sources.”
The draft deal under discussion also contains no reference to Iran dismantling or destroying its nuclear materials, according to the Fars Post.
Fars also claimed that “the most important part of the deal” is “the immediate payment of $12 billion of Iran’s frozen assets.” Iran will refuse any further negotiations unless this payment is made, according to Fars.
The White House did not immediately respond to CNBC’s questions about Trump’s message and Fars’ rebuttal.
A White House official confirmed to Axios on Thursday report that U.S. and Iranian negotiating teams reached a 60-day memorandum of understanding that would extend the current ceasefire and establish nuclear negotiations.
The memorandum would also lift restrictions in the strait and specify that Iran must remove all mines from the waterway within 30 days, while the United States would lift its blockade accordingly.
According to the Axios report, achieving Iran’s highly enriched uranium and enrichment goals will be the top priority during the 60-day window. The project would also launch negotiations on sanctions relief and the release of frozen Iranian funds.
Strait StateTrump’s latest sign of progress toward a U.S.-Iran peace deal contrasts with recent economic and military clashes between the two countries, as well as persistent anti-U.S. stances from Iranian officials and state media.
The Pentagon announced Thursday morning that Iran had launched a ballistic missile toward Kuwait and deployed attack drones in and around the strait. Iranian media reported Thursday evening local time that the country’s armed forces fired missiles at unidentified targets.
The US Treasury announced new sanctions against Iran on Wednesday and Thursday, including a series targeting Tehran’s new efforts to exert control over transit through the strait.
Iranian officials, in X-rated articles published before Trump’s statement Friday morning, were defiant toward the United States, touting its ties to its Middle Eastern neighbors, including Omana recent target of Trump’s threats.
Oman has would have is in talks with Iran over taxing ships transiting the Strait of Hormuz, the vital route for transporting the world’s oil that has been largely blocked by Iranian threats since the start of the war.
Trump, at a Cabinet meeting on Wednesday, said that “Oman will behave like everyone else, or we’ll have to blow them up.” On Thursday, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent warned Oman that the United States would “aggressively target” anyone involved in “facilitating tolls” for the strait.
A social media account attributed to Iranian parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, in a translated version Message On Friday morning, the report gave a cryptic but aggressive overview of the status of the talks.
“We obtain concessions not through dialogue, but with missiles; during negotiations, we simply make them understand,” writes Ghalibaf’s account.
“We have no confidence in guarantees or words. Only actions are the measure. No action will be taken until the other side acts,” the message said. “The winner of any agreement is the one who is best prepared to face war the next day.”
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi posted that he spoke with his Omani counterpart and “expressed Iran’s solidarity with Oman in the face of any threat.”
Read Trump’s full message:
Iran must accept that it will never have a nuclear weapon or bomb. The Strait of Hormuz must be immediately opened, without toll, to unrestricted maritime traffic in both directions. All water mines (bombs), if any, will be removed (we have cleared, by detonation, many such mines with our large underwater minesweepers. Iran will complete the immediate removal and/or detonation of all remaining mines, of which there will not be many!). Ships stuck in the strait due to our incredible and unprecedented naval blockade, which will now be lifted, could begin the process of “going home!” » Say HELLO to your wives, husbands, parents and families from me, your favorite president! The enriched material, sometimes called “nuclear dust”, which is buried deep underground with virtually collapsed mountains, caused by our mighty B2 bomber 11 months ago, being planted on top of it, will be unearthed by the United States (which, it is agreed, is the only country, besides China, with the mechanical capability to do so!), in close coordination and collaboration with the Islamic Republic of Iran, as well as the International Atomic Energy Agency, and DESTROYED. No money will be exchanged until further notice. Other points, much less important, were accepted. I will meet now, in the situation room, to make a final decision. Thank you for your attention to this matter! President DONALD J. TRUMP
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