Iran Deal Very Close as Hormuz Reopens: Trump

Positive signals from Washington came as a ceasefire came into effect in Lebanon; But Iran’s completely different account of the talks shows that disagreements still pose an obstacle to a deal.

“We’re very close. It looks like it’s going to be very good for everybody. And we’re very close to a deal,” Trump said in a brief telephone conversation with AFP from Las Vegas, adding that there were “no sticking points” left with Tehran.

“The strait will open, they are already open. And things are going very well.”

Trump’s comments followed a series of social media posts announcing progress on reopening Hormuz, through which one-fifth of global crude oil and liquefied natural gas passes, prompting a harsh reaction from Tehran, which disputed some key details.

Iran’s foreign ministry said its enriched uranium stockpile would not be transferred “anywhere,” rejecting Trump’s earlier claim that the Islamic republic had agreed to hand over the stockpile.

Trump hailed “A GREAT AND GREAT DAY FOR THE WORLD.” In congratulatory messages, the mediator praised Pakistan and its Gulf allies, while telling NATO to “STAY AWAY” while rejecting the alliance’s offer to help secure the Strait of Hormuz.

Following the establishment of a ceasefire in Lebanon, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said that the Islamic Republic will lift the blockade on shipping via the key energy route in the Gulf.

– Fragile gains –

Military ships are still prohibited from entering the waterway, a senior Iranian military official told state media.

Trump warned that the US blockade of Iranian ports would continue until a deal was reached, but denied that ships arriving from Tehran ports were being turned away.

Iranian foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei said, “The opening and closing of the Strait of Hormuz does not take place over the internet, it is determined on the field, and our armed forces definitely know how to act in the face of any action by the other side.”

“What they call a naval blockade will definitely receive an appropriate response from Iran. The naval blockade is a violation of the ceasefire and Iran will definitely take the necessary measures.”

Despite the difference between the two sides’ accounts of the negotiations, Trump later told reporters: “I don’t think there are a lot of significant differences.”

Oil prices were already falling on hopes of a negotiated end to the conflict, and the decline quickly accelerated following Iran’s announcement.

The ceasefire in Lebanon and the reopening of the strait marked a significant advance in Washington’s push to reach a broader deal to end its war with Iran, after Tehran insisted that stopping hostilities in Lebanon must be part of any deal.

Displaced families in Lebanon used a 10-day ceasefire to return to their homes in bomb-ravaged Beirut and the war-torn south.

“Our feelings are indescribable, pride and victory,” 37-year-old Amani Atrash told AFP, adding that she hoped the ceasefire would be extended.

Trump said Israel was “forbidden” from further attacks by Washington.

“That’s enough!” He said the United States would work with Lebanon and “deal with the Hezbollah situation in an appropriate manner.”

– Ceasefire under pressure –

The conflict in Lebanon began on March 2, when Hezbollah fired rockets at Israel in retaliation for the killing of Iran’s supreme leader Ali Khamenei, days after the start of the Middle East war.

Separately, the Israeli military announced the lifting of wartime restrictions, while Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned that the campaign against Hezbollah was not over.

“We’re not done yet,” he said, adding that one of the main goals was to “dismantle Hezbollah.”

At least 13 people were killed in Israeli attacks on the southern Lebanese city of Tire, a city official said, minutes before the ceasefire took effect at midnight.

Under the ceasefire, Israel reserves the right to continue targeting Hezbollah to prevent “planned, imminent or ongoing attacks” and says it will maintain a six-mile (10-kilometer) security zone along its border with southern Lebanon.

While Israel warned that military operations could restart if the area between the security zone and the Litani River was not cleared of Hezbollah fighters, Lebanese President Joseph Aoun insisted that his country would no longer serve as an arena for external conflicts.

Hezbollah, meanwhile, warned that it was ready to respond to any Israeli violations.