U.S. President Donald Trump has said he has told his diplomatic representatives not to rush into a deal with Iran, while boasting that the negotiations represent the “exact opposite” of the 2015 Iran nuclear deal, which he described as “one of the worst deals ever made by our Country.”
“The negotiations are proceeding in an orderly and constructive manner, and I have informed my representatives not to rush into a deal in that time is on our side,” Trump wrote on Truth Social.
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Trump contrasted the current talks with the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) negotiated under former President Barack Obama, which he said was “a direct path to Iran developing a Nuclear Weapon”.
“Our relationship with Iran is becoming a much more professional and productive one,” Trump said. “They must understand, however, that they cannot develop or procure a Nuclear Weapon or Bomb.”
Trump thanked “all of the countries of the Middle East for their support and cooperation”.
Earlier Trump had said he concluded a “very good call” with leaders of several majority-Muslim nations, including Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman al Saud of Saudi Arabia, President Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan of the UAE, Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani of Qatar, Field Marshal Asim Munir of Pakistan, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan of Turkiye, and President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi of Egypt.
He added that he also spoke with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel, a conversation that likewise “went very well,” and that the agreement would ensure the Strait of Hormuz will be opened.
Will Netanyahu complicate the deal?
In a statement posted on X on Sunday, Netanyahu said he spoke with Trump about the memorandum of understanding to reopen the Strait of Hormuz and the upcoming negotiations toward a final agreement on Iran’s nuclear program.
“I expressed my deep appreciation to President Trump for his unwavering commitment to Israel’s security, including during Operation Roaring Lion and Epic Fury, when American and Israeli forces fought shoulder to shoulder against the Iranian threat,” Netanyahu wrote.
Netanyahu said he and Trump agreed that any final agreement with Iran must eliminate the nuclear danger, which Netanyahu said means “dismantling Iran’s nuclear enrichment sites and removing its enriched nuclear material from its territory”.
Trump also reaffirmed Israel’s right to defend itself against threats on every front, including Lebanon, Netanyahu said. “The partnership between us and our two countries has been proven on the battlefield and has never been stronger.”
In a separate post on X, Netanyahu shared an image of himself standing back to back with Trump, with the caption: “Iran will never have a bomb.”
A senior Iranian source earlier told Reuters that if Iran’s Supreme National Security Council approved the memorandum, it would be forwarded to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei for final ratification. However, Iran’s Tasnim news agency reported that differences remained over one or two clauses, citing a source who said there would be no final understanding if the United States continued to create obstacles.
Omani and Iranian officials held a meeting to discuss principles governing freedom of navigation through the Strait of Hormuz in accordance with international law, the Omani news agency reported.
A military adviser to Iran’s Supreme Leader said on Sunday that managing the Strait of Hormuz was Tehran’s “legal right” to ensure national security. Iranian news agencies reported that Mohsen Rezaei, an adviser to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, said Iran’s management of the waterway “ends 50 years of insecurity in the Persian Gulf.”
Resul Serdar, an Al Jazeera correspondent reporting from Tehran, said Iranians have expressed openness to diplomatic engagement but accuse the United States of shifting positions.
“Iranians have been saying they are open to diplomatic engagement,” Serdar said. “However, each time that they are exchanging proposals and messages, the United States is coming up with new and excessive demands and also changing its position.”
Iran’s semi-official Tasnim News Agency, which is close to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), said that under a potential memorandum of understanding, the number of vessels transiting the Strait of Hormuz would return to pre-war levels within weeks.
The US naval blockade on Iranian ports must be completely lifted within 30 days, according to the potential memorandum of understanding, Tasnim said, adding that at least part of Iran’s frozen funds must be released in the first phase of the agreement.
The potential deal also includes an end to the war on all fronts, including in Lebanon, Tasnim reported.
Alan Fisher, Al Jazeera senior correspondent in Washington said: “The President has repeatedly claimed that Tehran has agreed to various concessions, only for Iranian officials to deny them. Many argue Trump’s calculus shifted over the last 24 hours following sharp blowback from his own base, with critics warning that a weak deal would make the entire military campaign a waste of time.”
Qatar University Assistant Professor Abdullah Bandar Al-Otaibi said that Netanyahu’s statements serve as a warning. “Netanyahu is signalling that if this diplomatic framework fails to meet Israel’s standards, Israel is fully prepared to resume and expand military operations independently,” he said.
Abbas Aslani, a senior research fellow at the Center for Middle East Strategic Studies said: “While Netanyahu may not openly defy the Trump administration, Israel will likely use secondary fronts, such as Lebanon, to complicate the implementation process and provoke a reaction, hoping to force Washington to abandon the talks.”