US President Donald Trump said Friday he was holding a White House Situation Room meeting with advisers to make a “final determination” on whether to move forward with a deal to extend the Iran ceasefire and advance negotiations over Tehran’s nuclear programme.
However, a report from Iran's Fars news agency also rebutted several key elements of Trump's characterisation of the deal, citing informed sources as calling his remarks a "mixture of truth and lies".
US sources told AFP the deal was just waiting on Trump's sign-off following weeks of halting negotiations to end a conflict that had engulfed the Middle East and shaken the global economy.
“I will be meeting now, in the Situation Room, to make a final determination,” Trump said in a lengthy social media post.
Iranian foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei, however, told state media that the Islamic republic "said goodbye to the language of 'must' 47 years ago".
"Regarding the understanding... exchanges of messages are continuing, but no final agreement has been reached yet," he added.
In his post, Trump said Tehran would remove mines in the Strait of Hormuz and end its blockade of the waterway with "no tolls", while the US would lift its parallel blockade of Iranian ports, and the two countries would coordinate on removing and destroying Iran's enriched uranium.
He also said "no money will be exchanged, until further notice".
Fars, however, cited Iranian sources as saying that Tehran was demanding "the immediate release of $12 billion in frozen Iranian assets", and that "until this payment is made, Iran will not move to the next phase of negotiations".
As for the toll-free reopening of Hormuz, they said, "no such clause appears in the text of the agreement", while the comment on destroying Iran's nuclear material "is fundamentally baseless".
Baqaei also told state TV that there were currently "no negotiations" taking place on Iran's nuclear programme.
The announcement came a day after reports said US and Iranian negotiators had reached a tentative agreement to extend the fragile ceasefire in the three-month-old conflict by 60 days while fresh talks are held on Iran’s disputed nuclear programme.
According to a US official familiar with the matter, the proposed agreement would continue the ceasefire for 60 days and begin a new round of negotiations focused on Iran’s nuclear activities, including the fate of its highly enriched uranium stockpile.
Trump reiterated that Iran must agree never to possess nuclear weapons and said enriched uranium stockpiles in Iran “will be unearthed by the United States... in close coordination and conjunction with the Islamic Republic of Iran, plus the International Atomic Energy Agency, and DESTROYED.”
Iran currently possesses 440.9 kilograms (972 pounds) of uranium enriched up to 60% purity, a short technical step from the 90% level considered weapons-grade, according to the International Atomic Energy Agency.
US Vice President JD Vance said negotiators were still debating “a couple of language points” and issues related to “the highly enriched stockpile, and also the question of enrichment”.
“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.”
Iran, which has long maintained that its nuclear programme is peaceful, has not publicly committed to surrendering the stockpile, believed to be buried beneath nuclear facilities heavily damaged in US airstrikes last year.
Nuclear analysts have suggested that Iran could consider China or Russia as third-party custodians of the enriched uranium, though Trump said earlier this week that he “wouldn’t be comfortable” with such an arrangement.
Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf struck a defiant tone on Friday, saying on X that Iran has “no trust in guarantees or words,” only actions, and that “no step will be taken before the other side acts.”
“We do not gain concessions through talks, but through missiles. In negotiations, we only make them understand that,” Qalibaf wrote, adding: “The winner of any agreement is the one who is better prepared for war the day after it is signed.”
However, even as negotiations continued, the US Treasury Department imposed additional sanctions targeting the Iranian military’s oil sales network.
Iran has also insisted that any agreement must include an end to Israeli military operations in Lebanon against the Iranian-backed Hezbollah group. Tensions remained high on Thursday after Israeli airstrikes in Beirut’s southern suburbs and the southern coastal city of Tyre killed at least 14 people.
Although the ceasefire has held for roughly seven weeks, the US and Iran have continued to accuse each other of violations while avoiding a return to full-scale hostilities and keeping diplomatic talks alive.
(With inputs from AP, AFP)