Trump Says Iran Deal Largely Negotiated as Hormuz Reopens — Iran Deal News
Donald Trump said Saturday that iran deal news had reached the point where a deal with Iran was “largely negotiated,” with the Strait of Hormuz included in the talks. He said final aspects and details were still being discussed, and that the agreement would be announced shortly.
Trump said the package was a “Memorandum of Understanding pertaining to PEACE,” but said the deal still had to be finalized by the United States, Iran and the other countries that took part in Saturday’s talks. The immediate stakes are regional shipping through the Strait of Hormuz and the separate question of how long the nuclear discussions would run.
Trump’s call to regional leaders
Trump said he had spoken with leaders from Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Pakistan, Turkey, Egypt, Jordan and Bahrain. Trump said he separately spoke with Israel. Those calls came as the United States and Iran were described earlier Saturday as closing in on a deal to end the war.
A regional official with direct knowledge of the Pakistan-led mediation efforts said the two sides were closing in, but cautioned that last-minute disputes could blow up the effort. That warning sat alongside Trump’s more bullish account, which pointed to a deal already largely in place while key details were still being thrashed out.
Pakistan-led mediation and Tehran
Marco Rubio said in India that “there’s been some progress made” and that “there may be news later today.” Rubio repeated the U.S. stance that Iran can never have a nuclear weapon and said Iran must turn over its highly enriched uranium. He also said the Strait of Hormuz must be open.
Esmail Baghaei described the draft as a “framework agreement” and said “We want this to include the main issues required for ending the imposed war and other issues of essential importance to us. Then, over a reasonable time span, between 30 to 60 days, details are discussed and ultimately a final agreement is reached.” Baghaei also said, “Over the past week, the trend has been toward narrowing differences,” and said lifting sanctions on Tehran “has explicitly been included in the text and remains our fixed position.”
Baghaei added that “Our focus at this stage is on ending the war on all fronts, including Lebanon,” while saying nuclear issues are not part of current negotiations. The sharpest friction point is there in the open: Trump’s side is talking about an agreement that includes the Strait of Hormuz and a quick announcement, while Iran is describing a 30 to 60 day process before a final settlement.
For now, the next step is the same one both sides already signaled: finalizing the text among the United States, Iran and the other countries involved in Saturday’s talks. Until that happens, the deal sits between a public political claim and a draft that still needs the last round of agreement.
