Iran has insisted that a final decision on a deal to end the current conflict with the United States has not yet been made, although President Trump again asserted that a deal was likely to be signed imminently.
Trump had said Thursday that the United States would hit Iran “very hard” again, but then said he was calling off the strikes because negotiators had just “reached an important agreement” with Iran.
He told reporters this was “subject to the finalization of the documents, which should be finalized in the coming days” and that there would “probably” be a signing ceremony in Europe.
But Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmail Baghaei said reports of a deal were “speculative” and “nothing had been finalized.”
Trump has previously claimed that a deal with Iran is close without one coming to fruition.
The United States and Israel launched large-scale strikes against Iran on February 28. Iran responded by attacking Israel and U.S. allied states in the Gulf, and effectively closing the Strait of Hormuz, a key shipping route for global oil and liquefied natural gas.
Despite agreeing to a ceasefire in April, the United States and Iran have exchanged intermittent fire, including two rounds of tit-for-tat strikes this week. At the same time, Trump has also repeatedly raised the prospects of a deal with Iran.
Following his latest comments, the price of Brent crude plunged to around $89 a barrel (£66), down 4.4% on the day.
Speaking to reporters, Trump said: “We have an agreement that Iran will never have nuclear weapons, which was the whole point of what we had to go through to get there. So that’s a very important thing.”
There will “probably be a signing, perhaps in Europe” once the documents are finalized, he added – and this should happen “fairly quickly”.
The documents are in “a fairly final state – so we’ll see.”
Trump also said the Strait of Hormuz would also be open “as soon as we sign it.”
The US leader said he had spoken with regional leaders, including Gulf allies and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, adding: “The whole Middle East is very happy.”
EPA
The Israeli prime minister’s office confirmed that a conversation had taken place and said Israel “is not a party to the memorandum of understanding.”
The statement said Netanyahu expressed appreciation for Trump’s commitment to working toward a final agreement that includes “the removal of enriched materials, dismantling of enrichment infrastructure, limits on missile production, and cessation of Iran’s support for its terrorist proxies in the region.”
Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Baghaei said the majority of the text of the memorandum had already been “finalized” but that the United States had made “excessive demands” and added “new demands.”
He also affirmed that the country would not “deviate from its red lines”.
The White House is pushing for a quick resolution to negotiations with Iran aimed at ending the conflict, as well as resolving issues such as security in the Strait of Hormuz and Tehran’s nuclear ambitions.
On April 20, Trump said a deal with Iran would be reached “relatively quickly,” and he and senior administration officials suggested negotiations were moving forward in the weeks that followed.
But on May 27, after reports that the two sides were close to a deal, Trump said he was “not satisfied” with its terms. Discussions have continued since.
Reuters
Hours before the latest comments on an impending deal, Trump said “the United States will hit Iran…very hard tonight,” while threatening to seize Kharg Island and other oil infrastructure “in the not too distant future.”
Trump also wrote that the United States would “assume complete control” over oil and gas markets, “much like we have with Venezuela.”
The Iranian military has threatened “harsher than before” retaliation if further attacks against Iran are launched.
“Given recent US threats against Iran’s oil infrastructure, either oil and gas exports are for everyone or they will be available to no one,” a statement said.
Iran’s top negotiator, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, also said that “bad strategies and impulsive decisions will create…an endless quagmire in which you will be stuck for years.”
On Wednesday, US Central Command (Centcom) said ended a wave of strikes targeting military, surveillance and radar sites in southern Iran.
In response, Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said it had launched strikes against US bases in Bahrain, Kuwait and Jordan. In Bahrain, an 11-year-old girl was injured by an Iranian drone attack, local authorities said Thursday, adding that houses and cars were damaged.
Jordan said it had shot down around 20 Iranian missiles and the Kuwaiti military said its troops were engaged in “hostile aerial targets.”
Meanwhile, India summoned a senior US diplomat after confirming that three Indian sailors were killed in a US strike on a ship in the Gulf of Oman, which it accused of violating its blockade on Iranian ports. Twenty-one crew members were rescued.
U.S. forces have fired on nine ships so far, including three this week. The blockade aims to prevent ships from entering and leaving Iranian ports in order to restrict Tehran’s ability to profit from oil exports.
The latest strikes have sparked calls for de-escalation. A spokesperson for UN Secretary-General António Guterres said Thursday he was “deeply concerned about the continued escalation in the Middle East.”
“It urges the parties to return to full implementation of the ceasefire and avoid any further deterioration.”
Pakistan, Russia, China, Turkey, India and Saudi Arabia also called for de-escalation.
