Just one week after announcing that the proposed agreement with Iran was “largely completed,” US President Donald Trump has reportedly returned the Iran deal for review, prolonging negotiations and creating uncertainty over efforts to end the conflict.According to CNN, Trump requested tougher provisions on Iran’s nuclear commitments and the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz during a meeting with his advisers. He also expressed concern about the amount of financial aid that could be provided to Tehran under any agreement, and was concerned about comparisons to the Obama-era nuclear deal, which he repeatedly criticized as too lenient.The latest round of changes comes a week after Trump declared the agreement “pretty much done” and indicated the end of hostilities was imminent.
Since then, US officials have indicated progress toward an agreement that would stop the fighting, reopen the strait, and allow for more detailed negotiations on Iran’s nuclear program.However, despite Trump saying he would make a “final decision” during Friday’s meeting and clarifying some conditions on social media, the two-hour session concluded without a decision. Trump said in his message that the United States would confiscate and destroy Iran’s stockpile of highly enriched uranium, although Iran has consistently said that it does not discuss details of its nuclear program within the framework of current talks.
Trump also said there was no discussion of exchanging money as part of the agreement, while Iran said financial provisions should be included in any agreement. How these differences will be resolved is still unclear as negotiations continue over the wording of the agreement.Earlier, Axios also reported that Trump sought amendments to the proposed agreement, including tougher language on reopening the Strait of Hormuz in the deal with Iran.Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf said on Sunday that no agreement with the United States would be approved before Tehran’s “rights” were guaranteed, according to the semi-official Tasnim news agency. The Iranian Tasnim News Agency quoted him as saying: “The soldiers of the diplomatic arena do not trust the enemy’s words and promises. What matters to us are the tangible achievements that we must achieve, and in return for them we will fulfill our obligations.”Meanwhile, Democratic Senator Chris Coons, a member of the Senate Foreign Affairs Committee, said that the conditions set by Trump appear acceptable on paper but may be difficult to implement, especially regarding the Strait of Hormuz.
