Trump: Iran Deal Clearly Bars Nuclear Weapons
Defending the draft framework, Trump said the agreement addresses nuclear issues in significant detail and is focused largely on preventing nuclear proliferation
Washington, DC: US President Donald Trump has strongly pushed back against media reports questioning the nuclear provisions of his proposed agreement with Iran, insisting that the deal clearly prevents Tehran from obtaining a nuclear weapon.
Posting on his Truth Social platform, Trump criticized media coverage of the proposed pact.
"Fake News CNN said today, routinely, that my Iran Nuclear Deal doesn't talk about Nuclear, when actually it states, very clearly, that Iran will not have a Nuclear Weapon," Trump wrote.
Defending the draft framework, Trump said the agreement addresses nuclear issues in significant detail and is focused largely on preventing nuclear proliferation.
He added that the deal "goes on, in very strong and lengthy detail, to discuss various other aspects of Nuclear" and claimed that most of the agreement is devoted to those issues.
Trump's remarks come days after he described the proposed deal with Iran as "largely finalised." However, reports indicate that he later returned the draft for substantial revisions, prolonging negotiations and creating fresh uncertainty around efforts to ease tensions.
According to CNN, Trump sought stricter commitments from Iran on nuclear issues and stronger provisions regarding the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz during discussions with advisers.
He has also reportedly raised concerns about the level of financial relief that could be offered to Tehran, seeking to avoid comparisons with the Obama-era nuclear agreement, which he has frequently criticized as overly lenient.
The latest revisions follow Trump's earlier statement that the deal was close to completion and could soon lead to an end to hostilities. US officials have since signalled progress toward an agreement that would reopen the Strait of Hormuz and pave the way for further negotiations on Iran's nuclear programme.
Despite Trump saying he would make a "final determination" during a recent meeting and outlining some conditions publicly, the two-hour discussion reportedly ended without a final decision.
Trump has also stated that the United States would seize and destroy Iran's stockpile of highly enriched uranium. Iran, however, has maintained that details of its nuclear programme are not part of the current discussions.
The US President further said there had been no discussions about financial payments as part of the agreement, while Iranian officials insist that economic provisions must be included in any deal.
Axios also reported that Trump requested revisions to the draft agreement, including tougher language concerning the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz.
Meanwhile, Iran's political leadership has responded cautiously to the evolving negotiations. Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf said no agreement with the United States would be approved unless Iran's rights are guaranteed.
"The soldiers of the diplomatic battlefield have no trust in the words and promises of the enemy. What matters to us are tangible achievements that we must obtain, in exchange for which we will fulfil our commitments," Ghalibaf was quoted as saying by Iran's Tasnim news agency.
In Washington, Democratic Senator Chris Coons, a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, said the broad outlines of the proposed deal appear reasonable but could prove difficult to implement, particularly regarding the Strait of Hormuz.