The US President stated that there is no rush to close the pact and that the blockade of Iranian ports remains in place until the signing of a final document
The President of the United States, Donald Trump, tempered expectations this Sunday (24) of a Imminent deal with Iran to end war in the Middle Eastdespite both sides reporting progress in negotiations.
“I have instructed my representatives not to be hasty (…) because time is on our side,” wrote the American president on his Truth Social platform.
Trump also stated that the blockade of Iranian ports “will remain in full force” until a final agreement is signed with Tehran.
Earlier, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio told reporters in New Delhi that .
Rubio said the deal would address Washington’s concerns about the Strait of Hormuz, which has been almost completely blocked by Iran in response to the Feb. 28 attack by Israel and the United States that triggered the war.
Control of this crucial passage for global hydrocarbon trade has been one of the main obstacles in the dialogue mediated by Pakistan since the beginning of the truce between Tehran and Washington on April 8.
The question of iranian nuclear programhowever, would be addressed in later negotiations, according to American media, Rubio himself and the spokesperson for the Iranian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Esmaeil Baqaei.
The latter stated that they were finalizing a memorandum of understanding with Washington, although this did not imply “an agreement on the main issues”. The nuclear issue, for example, is not part of “this stage” of the negotiations, he assured.
Pending nuclear issue
According to Rubio, the currently proposed agreement should begin “a process that could ultimately take us to where the president wants us to be, that is, a world that no longer needs to fear or worry about an Iranian nuclear weapon.”
The United States and Israel believe that the purpose of this program is develop nuclear weaponsalthough Tehran claims it is for civilian purposes only.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu declared on Sunday that he and Trump agree that a final deal with Iran should eliminate Tehran’s nuclear activities.
“President Trump and I agree that any final agreement with Iran must completely eliminate the nuclear threat. This means dismantling Iran’s uranium enrichment facilities and removing enriched nuclear material from its territory,” Netanyahu said in a statement, recounting the content of a phone call between the two leaders on Saturday night (23).
Furthermore, Netanyahu said Trump reiterated that Israel has the right to defend itself against threats “on all fronts, including Lebanon.”
CBS News, citing sources close to the negotiations, reported that the proposal includes the unlocking some Iranian assets in foreign banks ea extension of negotiations for another 30 daysa deadline also mentioned by The Wall Street Journal.
Iranian news agency Fars reported that sanctions on oil, gas and other petrochemicals would be lifted during the negotiations period, allowing Tehran to export these essential commodities.
Divergent strategies
After weeks of impasse, Trump said on Saturday, on his social network Truth Social, that he spoke by phone with leaders of the Gulf countries, Turkey, Egypt, Jordan and Pakistan.
In recent days, American press outlets have highlighted divergent strategies between the two sides: while Trump defended diplomacy, his Israeli ally favored the resumption of hostilities.
Speaking to Axios on Saturday, Trump estimated the chances of a “good” deal or a resumption of war at “50-50.”
On the same day, Iran’s chief negotiator, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, promised an “overwhelming” response if the United States resumed its offensive.
