President Donald Trump said Iran must keep the Strait of Hormuz open, remove remaining mines and surrender enriched uranium for destruction before he makes a final decision on a proposed 60-day ceasefire extension.
By yourNEWS Media Newsroom
President Donald Trump said Friday he is meeting with advisers in the White House Situation Room to make a final decision on a proposed agreement with Iran, as reports said U.S. and Iranian negotiators have reached tentative terms to extend a fragile ceasefire for 60 days.
Trump outlined his conditions in a Truth Social post, saying Iran must agree that it will never possess a nuclear weapon, immediately reopen the Strait of Hormuz without tolls and remove or detonate any remaining mines in the waterway.
The president also said a U.S. naval blockade that had affected ships traveling to and from Iran “will now be lifted,” allowing vessels caught in the strait to begin returning home.
“Iran must agree that they will never have a Nuclear Weapon or Bomb. The Hormuz Strait must be immediately open, no tolls, for unrestricted shipping traffic, in both directions,” Trump wrote.
Trump said U.S. forces had already removed numerous mines using underwater minesweepers and that Iran must complete the removal or detonation of any remaining mines.
“All water mines (bombs), if any, will be terminated (we have removed, through detonation, numerous such mines with our great underwater mine sweepers. Iran will complete the immediate removal and/or detonation of any mines that are left, which will not be many!),” Trump wrote.
The president added that ships held up by the blockade could begin leaving the area.
“Ships caught in the Strait due to our amazing and unprecedented Naval Blockade, which will now be lifted, may start the process of ‘heading home!’ Say HELLO to your wives, husbands, parents, and families from me, your favorite President!” he wrote.
Trump said any enriched uranium that could be used in a nuclear weapon, which he referred to as “Nuclear Dust,” would be recovered and destroyed under the agreement. He said the United States would carry out that process in coordination with Iran and the International Atomic Energy Agency.
“The enriched material, sometimes referred to as ‘Nuclear Dust,’ which is buried deep underground with virtually collapsed mountains, caused by our powerful B2 Bomber attack 11 months ago, sitting on top of it, will be unearthed by the United States (which, it is agreed, is the only Country, along with China, with the mechanical capability of doing so!), in close coordination and conjunction with the Islamic Republic of Iran, plus the International Atomic Energy Agency, and DESTROYED,” Trump wrote.
Trump also said no funds would be exchanged at this stage.
“No money will be exchanged, until further notice. Other items, of far less importance, have been agreed to. I will be meeting now, in the Situation Room, to make a final determination,” he wrote.
The potential agreement would extend the ceasefire in the three-month conflict by 60 days while opening a new round of negotiations over Iran’s nuclear program. Reports said Trump’s approval is still required before the deal can move forward.
Vice President JD Vance said Thursday that negotiators were still working through “a couple of language points” and that he could not say whether Trump would approve the proposal.
Vance said remaining disagreements involved “a couple of issues on the nuclear stuff, the highly enriched stockpile, and also the question of enrichment.” He suggested negotiators were attempting to set broad terms on the uranium issue, with details to be resolved during follow-up talks.
“We’re in a position where we could substantially set back their nuclear program, not just during the term of this president but over the long term,” Vance said. “That’s a very very good thing for the American people.”
A U.S. official familiar with the tentative agreement said one of the first issues during the 60-day period would be the future of Iran’s highly enriched uranium. The official, who was not authorized to speak publicly, said Iran has 440.9 kilograms, or 972 pounds, of uranium enriched up to 60% purity, according to the International Atomic Energy Agency. That level is a short technical step from weapons-grade enrichment of 90%.
Iran has long said its nuclear program is peaceful and has not publicly agreed to surrender the stockpile. Iran’s president again said over the weekend that the country is not seeking to produce a nuclear weapon. U.S., European and Israeli officials have said they believe Tehran has been trying to enrich uranium to weapons-grade levels.
The enriched material is believed to be buried under three nuclear sites that were heavily damaged by U.S. airstrikes last year. Some nuclear analysts have said Iran might consider China or Russia acceptable third-party custodians because of their ties to Tehran, but Trump said Wednesday that he “wouldn’t be comfortable” with that arrangement.
The tentative agreement would also require Iran to remove all mines from the Strait of Hormuz within 30 days and would bar Tehran from imposing tolls on ships passing through the waterway, according to the U.S. official.
The Strait of Hormuz had served as a route for roughly one-fifth of the world’s traded oil and natural gas before wartime disruptions. Iran has restricted traffic there during the conflict, sending oil prices higher worldwide. Gas prices across the United States have averaged more than $4 per gallon for the past month, according to automotive group data included in the provided report.
Iran has said some commercial vessels are still being allowed through, with about two dozen ships passing daily in recent days compared with more than 100 per day before the war. The Islamic Republic also charged tolls for some ships and created a formal gatekeeper agency earlier this month, prompting additional U.S. sanctions this week.
U.S. Central Command said in a May 29 update that the blockade, announced in mid-April, allowed the U.S. military to redirect 115 ships to and from Iran.
Under the tentative terms, the United States would gradually lift its naval blockade of Iranian ports and relax sanctions to allow Iran to sell more oil. Even as reports of a possible agreement emerged, however, the Treasury Department imposed additional sanctions on the Iranian military’s oil sales arm.
Iranian officials had not publicly responded to Trump’s Truth Social post through state-run media or official social media channels at the time of the provided report.
About two hours before Trump’s announcement, Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf, who was involved in negotiations in Qatar this week, wrote on X that Iran does not trust guarantees or words and would judge the other side by its actions.
“No action will be taken before the other side acts,” Qalibaf wrote, according to a translation from Persian.
“We gain concessions not through dialogue, but through missiles; in negotiations, we merely make them understand this,” he wrote. “The winner of any agreement is the one who, from the day after it, is better prepared for war.”
Iran has also demanded that any agreement include an end to Israeli military operations in Lebanon against Hezbollah, the Iranian-backed militant group. Tensions in Lebanon escalated Thursday after Israel struck a southern suburb of Beirut and launched other attacks in the southern coastal city of Tyre. At least 14 people were killed across southern Lebanon.
The ceasefire began about seven weeks ago, but the United States and Iran have continued trading strikes and accusations of violations. Despite those incidents, the two sides have not returned to full-scale hostilities and negotiations have continued.
Reports Thursday said U.S. and Iranian negotiators had reached a tentative agreement to extend the ceasefire and lift restrictions on shipping through the Strait of Hormuz. Trump’s final approval remained pending Friday as he entered the Situation Room meeting.
Original article
Comments