Tehran denies US president’s suggestion that agreement announced by White House includes nuclear concessions; deal includes $300B fund for Iran’s reconstruction, sources tell NYT.
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. “President Trump will only make a deal that is good for America and satisfies his red lines,” a White House official told AFP on condition of anonymity after the meeting. “Iran can never possess a nuclear weapon.”
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 terms of 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. (Read More)
