Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent declined to confirm details of a reported U.S.-Iran memorandum of understanding, saying President Donald Trump will decide whether any agreement meets his red lines.

By yourNEWS Media Newsroom

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent declined Thursday to get ahead of President Donald Trump on a tentative agreement reportedly reached by U.S. and Iranian negotiators, telling reporters that any final decision rests with the president.

Speaking during a White House press briefing, Bessent repeatedly avoided confirming specific terms of the proposed memorandum of understanding, which The Hill reported was first disclosed by Axios and later acknowledged by White House officials.

Bessent said Trump has made clear that any deal with Tehran must meet firm conditions, including limits tied to Iran’s nuclear program and security in the Strait of Hormuz.

“The teams have been going back and forth and President Trump has made it very clear, he talked about it at the Cabinet meeting, that he has several red lines,” Bessent said when asked whether an agreement with Iran was under consideration.

Bessent said those red lines include Iran surrendering its stockpile of highly enriched uranium and permanently giving up any route to a nuclear weapon. He also said the administration continues to insist that the Strait of Hormuz remain fully open to international shipping after weeks of conflict and disruption in the key energy corridor.

“He’s not going to take a bad deal. He’s going to make a great deal for the American people,” Bessent said.

When reporters again pressed him on whether Washington and Tehran had reached a tentative understanding, Bessent said the outcome would depend entirely on Trump’s judgment.

“Everything depends on what the president wants to do,” Bessent said.

He also told reporters he had not spoken with Trump before appearing at the briefing Thursday afternoon and said it would be “a mistake to get out ahead of the president” before Trump decides whether to approve the plan.

The tentative framework, according to U.S. officials cited in the submitted material, would create a 60-day negotiating period extending the ceasefire in the Middle East and reopening the Strait of Hormuz after weeks of instability that disrupted commercial shipping.

During that period, U.S. and Iranian negotiators would attempt to reach understandings on Iran’s nuclear enrichment program, the future of Tehran’s highly enriched uranium stockpile, inspection and verification requirements and a possible phased rollback of U.S. sanctions.

The talks are also expected to address maritime security in the Strait of Hormuz, including unrestricted commercial shipping and demining operations in the waterway. The strait is a major global energy chokepoint, carrying roughly 20% of the world’s oil and gas shipments.

Under the reported framework, Iran would agree not to impose tolls on commercial ships moving through the strait and would begin clearing naval mines from shipping lanes.

The tentative agreement still requires approval from senior Iranian leadership, as well as Trump’s final authorization. If the strait is fully reopened to commercial shipping, the United States would remove its naval blockade and issue sanctions waivers allowing Iran to resume broader oil exports.

Bessent’s comments reflected the administration’s cautious posture as negotiations continue. While officials have acknowledged progress, the Treasury secretary emphasized that Trump will not sign off unless the agreement meets his terms on nuclear restrictions, shipping access and U.S. interests.