US president signals no money will flow and demands total nuclear disarmament; Iran denies nuclear negotiations are even taking place. A carefully negotiated ceasefire framework between the United States and Iran is teetering on the edge of collapse after Iran's Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei failed to formally approve the agreed terms, prompting President Donald Trump to harden his conditions and freeze key financial provisions of the proposed deal.
Negotiators from the US and Iran reached agreement on a 60-day memorandum of understanding (MoU) to extend the ongoing ceasefire, according to a Thursday Axios report confirmed by two US officials. However, Mojtaba Khamenei has not approved the drafted agreement, which is why President Trump has also withheld his own approval, a source familiar with the matter told The Jerusalem Post. In effect, there appears to be an understanding among Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad-Bagher Ghalibaf, and US envoy Steve Witkoff and his team, but senior Iranian leadership has not yet formally agreed to a ceasefire extension.
US Vice President JD Vance described talks as making "good progress," and said that if signed, the memorandum of understanding would be the most significant diplomatic step since the war began on February 28. According to US sources, the draft terms include unrestricted shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, Iran removing all mines from the strait within 30 days, a proportional lifting of the US naval blockade as commercial shipping resumes, US sanctions waivers to allow Iran to sell oil, Iran's commitment not to pursue nuclear weapons, and a US commitment to discuss sanctions relief.
A two-month extension of the ceasefire would also extend beyond the FIFA World Cup period, during which Iran is scheduled to play all three group-stage matches on US soil, providing both sides with an opportunity to consolidate their positions without committing to final decisions. With Khamenei's silence frustrating Washington, Trump moved to tighten his demands. Trump insisted that Iran must agree it will "never have a nuclear weapon or bomb," and that Iran's stockpiles of highly enriched uranium — which he called "nuclear dust" — will be "unearthed" and destroyed by the US in close coordination with Iran and the UN's nuclear energy agency.
He also announced: "No money will be exchanged, until further notice," appearing to freeze the sanctions relief Iran was supposed to receive under the MoU once signed, adding that "other items, of far less importance, have been agreed to." Trump had told advisers a day earlier that he was not satisfied with the current state of talks. (Read More)
