No deal announced after Trump meeting to make ‘final determination’ on Iran
US President Donald Trump held a meeting with his top advisers to reach a “final decision” on a framework for extending the ceasefire with Iran, but the meeting ended without clarity on next steps.
In a previous post on Truth Social, Trump said Iran must agree to never have a nuclear weapon or bomb, reopen the Strait of Hormuz to “unrestricted shipping traffic in both directions” and “end” all mines in the strait.
An adviser to Iran’s supreme leader on Saturday accused Trump of “betraying diplomacy” by making what he described as excessive demands.
Iran says it is not negotiating over its nuclear program and insists it is for purely peaceful purposes.
On Thursday, the two countries agreed on a framework for a deal known as a memorandum of understanding, pending approval from Trump and Iran’s leadership, according to U.S. officials.
The agreement will reportedly extend the current ceasefire by 60 days and initiate negotiations on the future of Iran’s nuclear program.
“President Trump will only make a deal that is good for America and meets his red lines. Iran can never have a nuclear weapon,” a White House official told BBC’s US news partner CBS.
Since the ceasefire came into force on April 8, Trump has repeatedly claimed that the United States and Iran are close to an agreement and that negotiations are progressing, but so far there has been no concrete result.
Ahead of his aides’ meeting on Friday, Trump took to social media to lift the U.S. naval blockade of the Strait of Hormuz and urge ships caught in the waterway to “‘don’t go home!'” He wrote that he was ready to allow the process to begin.
He also insisted that Iran allow the United States to extract and destroy its enriched uranium.
“No money will be exchanged until further notice,” he said. “Other items of much less importance were agreed upon.”
A White House official confirmed to the BBC that the meeting, held in the White House’s Situation Room, used to deal with major crises, wrapped up late Friday. The official did not provide further details.
Iran’s semi-official Tasnim news agency reported on Saturday that the blockade of Iranian shipping continued. He said Iranian ships were still prevented from crossing the blockade line and continued to receive warnings from US forces.
Mohsen Rezai, one of the advisors of Iran’s Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei, wrote the following about X in reaction to Trump’s latest statements: “As predicted, the US President betrays diplomacy for the third time.
“By continuing the naval blockade and making excessive demands in negotiations, he has once again proven that he is not willing to negotiate and is pursuing other goals.”
Iran’s Fars news agency previously quoted knowledgeable sources as saying Trump’s latest comments were “a mix of truth and lies.”
According to the agency, there is no provision in the memorandum of understanding regarding the destruction of nuclear materials.
Meanwhile, Iranian foreign ministry spokesman Esmail Baghaei told state television that “the focus is on ending the war and there are no negotiations on the nuclear issue.”
The United States has long demanded that Iran stop producing highly enriched uranium and dispose of its existing stockpiles that could theoretically be used to make nuclear weapons.
Iran says its nuclear program is entirely peaceful and denies it aims to develop nuclear weapons.
The possibility that the United States could “restart” attacks on Iran was expressed by US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth.
Speaking at a security summit in Singapore, he said: “Our stockpiles are more than capable of that both there and around the world because of how we balance excellent and more abundant ammunition.”
“So we’re in a very good place,” he added.
The USA and Israel launched an attack against Iran on February 28. Iran responded by attacking Israel and US-allied states in the Gulf, effectively closing the strait, causing global oil prices to rise. Normally, approximately 20% of the world’s energy resources are transported through the Bosphorus.
On Thursday, US Vice President J.D. Vance said negotiators were “going back and forth on several language issues,” including the “enrichment issue.”
“We’re not there yet, but we’re very close and we’ll continue to work on it,” he said.
Iran’s chief negotiator, Mohammad Baqir Qalibaf, said early Friday that “there is no trust in guarantees or promises,” only actions.
“No action will be taken until the other party takes action,” he said in his social media post. “The winner of any agreement is the one who is better prepared for battle the next day.”
Both Iran and the United States have been accusing each other of violating the ceasefire in recent days.
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said on Thursday: He targeted the US air base in Kuwait This was the “source” of earlier attacks on Bandar Abbas, a strategic Iranian port city near the Strait of Hormuz.
US Central Command said the attack on Kuwait was an “egregious ceasefire violation”.
