Trump meeting to make ‘final determination’ on Iran deal said to end with no decision |
US President Donald Trump announced on Friday that he was entering the White House Situation Room to make a “final determination” on a memorandum of understanding to extend the ceasefire with Iran and reopen the Strait of Hormuz.
But the meeting ended after two hours with no decision, a senior administration official told The New York Times, insisting an agreement was still close but required further debate about issues including the unfreezing of Iranian funds.
Announcing the meeting in a post on his Truth Social platform, Trump insisted that Iran’s stockpiles of highly enriched uranium would be extracted and destroyed by the US, even though such a clause is not included in the MoU.
Iran’s Foreign Ministry responded that talks were ongoing but “no final agreement has been reached yet,” contradicting the White House’s claim that Trump’s approval was the last thing needed before a deal could be reached.
The ministry also denied Trump’s suggestion that Iran would relinquish its enriched uranium.
“We are focused on ending the war, and there are no negotiations on the nuclear issue,” ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei told state TV.
A senior Iranian source told Reuters that while a political understanding has been reached, it has not yet been finalized.
The MoU announced by the White House on Thursday would reopen the Strait of Hormuz and extend the ongoing Iran ceasefire by 60 days. In that time, Washington and Tehran would hold further talks on curbing Iran’s nuclear program.
The MoU is also said to include financial incentives for Iran, possibly including sanctions relief. Iranian and other officials cited by The New York Times also said the MoU provided for Iran’s reconstruction with an “investment fund” that two of the sources valued at $300 billion.
The scheme was said to mirror an earlier proposal by Trump’s negotiators Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner — both of whom are real estate investors — and Iranian officials reportedly recounted proposing that major US firms could pursue ventures with Iran.
But in his Truth Social post Friday, Trump said, “No money will be exchanged, until further notice.” He also repeated his vow that the US would unearth and destroy Iran’s “nuclear dust” in close coordination with Iran and the United Nations nuclear energy agency.
“Iran must agree that they will never have a nuclear weapon or bomb,” Trump said. “The Hormuz Strait must be immediately open, no tolls, for........