US President Donald Trump will only make a peace deal with Iran if it meets all of his conditions, a White House official told AFP on Friday, as questions swirled about the state of negotiations to end the war.
The White House had indicated Trump was close to a decision on a potential deal, even as Tehran insisted there was still “no final agreement” on ending the Middle East conflict.
An Iranian state media report also rebutted several key elements of Trump’s characterization of the deal, with sources calling his remarks a “mixture of truth and lies.”
US sources had told AFP the deal was waiting on Trump’s sign-off following weeks of halting negotiations over a conflict that has engulfed the Middle East and shaken the global economy.
Trump attended a two-hour meeting in the White House Situation Room on Friday but did not reach a decision.
“President Trump will only make a deal that is good for America and satisfies his red lines,” a White House official told AFP afterward.
“Iran can never possess a nuclear weapon,” the official added.
Trump had announced the meeting in a lengthy social media post, reiterating long-held demands that Iran agree never to develop nuclear weapons and reopen the vital Strait of Hormuz shipping lane.
Iranian foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei pushed back, telling state media that the Islamic republic “said goodbye to the language of ‘must’ 47 years ago.”
Exchanges of messages were continuing, he added, but “no final agreement has been reached yet.”
In a phone call with the Emir of Qatar, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said Iran was ready to achieve a “dignified framework” to end the war, according to state news agency IRNA.
In his post, Trump said Tehran would remove mines from the Strait of Hormuz and end its blockade of the waterway with “no tolls,” while the US would lift its parallel blockade of Iranian ports.
The two countries would also coordinate on removing and destroying Iran’s enriched uranium, he said, adding that “no money will be exchanged, until further notice.”
Iran’s Fars news agency, however, cited sources as saying Tehran was demanding “the immediate release of $12 billion in frozen Iranian assets” before moving to the next phase of negotiations.
On the toll-free reopening of Hormuz, the sources said “no such clause appears in the text of the agreement,” while Trump’s comment on destroying Iran’s nuclear material “is fundamentally baseless.”
Baqaei also told state TV there were currently “no negotiations” taking place on Iran’s nuclear program, as Iran’s top diplomat suggested the US was holding up a deal with its approach to the talks.
