IN BRIEF
- Deal would include reopening Strait of Hormuz, Trump said, but Iran said his assertion is “inconsistent with reality”.
- Iran is seeking an end to US blockade, sanctions relief and and supervision of strait.
US President Donald Trump said on Sunday a deal with Iran had been “largely negotiated”, with the proposal including opening the crucial Strait of Hormuz, though the agreement was “subject to finalization”.
“An Agreement has been largely negotiated, subject to finalization between the United States of America, the Islamic Republic of Iran, and the various other Countries,” Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform, listing a number of Middle East powers along with Türkiye and mediator Pakistan.
“In addition to many other elements of the Agreement, the Strait of Hormuz will be opened.”
However, following Trump’s announcement Iran’s Fars news agency reported that the Strait of Hormuz would remain under Iran’s management according to the latest exchanged text between Iran and the US.
It dismissed Trump’s announcement of reopening the strait as part of a “largely negotiated” deal as “incomplete and inconsistent with reality”.
Among the Middle East countries whose leaders joined a call on Sunday to discuss the deal were Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Egypt, Jordan and Bahrain, Trump said.
He added that he had a separate call with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, saying it “likewise, went very well”.
“Final aspects and details of the Deal are currently being discussed, and will be announced shortly,” Trump said.
His optimistic post came after Iranian officials said gaps remained between the parties, and that the dispute over its nuclear program would not be part of the initial talks. Iran said it was finalising a 14-point framework for a deal.
Iranian foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei noted what he called “a trend towards rapprochement”, but said “it does not necessarily mean that we and the United States will reach an agreement on the important issues”.
“Our intention was first to draft a memorandum of understanding, a kind of framework agreement composed of 14 clauses,” he said on state television.
Baqaei added that he hoped the details of a final agreement could be worked out “within a reasonable timeframe between 30 to 60 days” after the framework is finalised.
‘Another act of folly’
Iran’s chief negotiator Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf had warned earlier that Washington would face a tough response if it resumed hostilities, after US media reports raised the prospect of new strikes and Iranian officials accused the US side of making “excessive demands”.
“Our armed forces have rebuilt themselves during the ceasefire period in such a way that if Trump commits another act of folly and restarts the war, it will certainly be more crushing and bitter for the United States than on the first day of the war,” Ghalibaf said.
He issued the warning after meeting in Tehran with Pakistan’s army chief field marshal Asim Munir, a leading figure in international efforts to negotiate an end to the war, which broke out after the United States and Israel attacked Iran on 28 February.
Weeks of negotiations, including historic face-to-face talks hosted by Islamabad, have still not produced a permanent resolution or restored full access to the Strait of Hormuz, choking vast quantities of global oil supply.
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