Washington, May 24, (dpa/GNA) – US President Donald Trump, said on Sunday that negotiations with Iran on ending the war were moving forward, but that he told his negotiators not to “rush” to make deal that would be unfavourable to Washington.
It comes after Trump said on Saturday that a framework agreement to end the war had been “largely negotiated,” including the reopening the Strait of Hormuz. “The negotiations are proceeding in an orderly and constructive manner, and I have informed my representatives not to rush into a deal in that time is on our side,” Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform on Sunday.
The US blockade of Iranian ports, intended to break Iran’s blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, would remain in place “until an agreement is reached, certified, and signed,” Trump said. “Both sides must take their time and get it right. There can be no mistakes!” the US president said, adding that the US relationship with Iran was “becoming a much more professional and productive one.” “They must understand, however, that they cannot develop or procure a Nuclear Weapon or Bomb.”
Trump reportedly informed Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of the state of negotiations in a phone call, assuring him that as part of any agreement, he would stick to the demand for Iran’s nuclear programme to be stopped and for all highly enriched uranium to be removed from Iran.
Netanyahu on Sunday posted an image of himself and Trump, apparently AI generated, on X, captioned with the words: “Iran will never have a nuclear weapon.” Later on Sunday, Trump reiterated that any deal with Iran would be “the exact opposite” from the 2015 nuclear agreement struck under former president Barack Obama.
Trump unilaterally withdrew the US from the deal during his first term. In a follow-up post on Truth Social, Trump said that “nobody has seen [the new deal], or knows what it is. It isn’t even fully negotiated yet.” “So don’t listen to the losers, who are critical about something they know nothing about.
Unlike those before me who should have solved this problem many years ago, I don’t make bad deals!”
GNA