Trump tells US negotiators not to rush into deal with Iran and just like that, the optimism from the weekend evaporated.
On Saturday, Trump said an agreement had been largely negotiated. Iranian officials were giving similar signals. The Strait of Hormuz reopening. A 60-day Ceasefire extension. A framework for nuclear talks. The world started breathing a little easier. Oil prices dipped. Then Monday came.
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Trump posted that constructive talks are proceeding but both sides must take their time and get it right. Translation: nothing is signed. Nothing is final. And the president just publicly told his own team to slow down.
The deal on the table is not a final settlement. It is a memorandum of understanding. A stepping stone. The hardest issues are being pushed down the road. Sanctions relief. Frozen Iranian funds. Iran’s nuclear programme. None of it gets resolved in this first phase. That is by design. It is also why the deal is already splitting Republicans.
Senator Ted Cruz called it a disastrous mistake. Roger Wicker, who chairs the Senate Armed Services Committee, said a 60-day ceasefire would mean everything accomplished by Operation Epic Fury would be for nothing. House Foreign Affairs Committee member Mike Lawler pushed back, saying the administration has forced the remnants of the regime into a real negotiation. The party is not united. The stakes are too high for unity.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio, speaking from Delhi, tried to paint the deal in practical terms. He said there is a pretty solid thing on the table regarding opening the strait and entering a real, significant, time-limited negotiation on the nuclear matter. He hinted that progress over the past 48 hours could result in a completely open strait without tolls. That would be enormous. Twenty percent of the world’s oil and liquefied natural gas flows through that waterway. It has been effectively closed since February.
Iranian foreign ministry spokesperson Esmail Baghaei summed up the state of play perfectly. The two sides are both very close and very far from an agreement.
The US blockade of Iranian ports remains in full force. Trump says it will stay that way until an agreement is reached, certified, and signed. Iran continues to control the strait. The ceasefire is holding but fragile. Pakistani mediators are shuttling between both sides. Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar says there are grounds for optimism that a positive outcome is within reach.
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian told state TV that Iran is ready to assure the world it is not after a nuclear weapon. The US says Iran must understand it cannot develop one. Reports suggest Iran could eventually agree to hand over its highly-enriched uranium. At the start of the war, Iran is thought to have had about 440 kilograms of uranium enriched to 60 percent purity. That is a short technical step from weapons-grade.
The deal is close. The deal is far. Trump is telling his team to slow down. The world is watching and waiting.
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The Strait of Hormuz reopening would be MASSIVE. 20% of the world’s oil stuck behind a geopolitical tantrum for months
No tolls on the strait is a huge detail if true. Free passage through Hormuz would stabilize everything overnight
Ted Cruz calling it a “disastrous mistake” while Rubio says progress is being made… this administration can’t even agree with itself 🤦
Republicans fighting each other over this deal while the world burns. Ted Cruz vs Mike Lawler is not the debate we need right now
Very close and very far at the same time that Iranian spokesman just summed up every negotiation in history
Pakistan quietly doing the real diplomatic work while everyone else postures. Ishaq Dar deserves a Nobel Peace Prize at this rate
Trump saying the blockade stays in full force until signed is him keeping his leverage. Smart negotiation or unnecessary pressure?
Trump literally said “deal largely negotiated” on Saturday and then “don’t rush” on Monday. Which one is it sir?? 😤
Iran’s president saying they’re ready to prove they don’t want nukes… but the IAEA hasn’t been allowed full access in years
60 day ceasefire extension is basically kicking the can down the road. What happens on day 61??
The fact we went from airstrikes in February to almost a deal in May is actually remarkable. Don’t mess this up now 😩
Imagine being a negotiator working on this for weeks and then your boss publicly tells you to slow down. I’d lose my mind 🤯
This deal being a memorandum of understanding not a final settlement is classic diplomacy. Kick the hard stuff to phase two
440kg of 60% enriched uranium just sitting there and people are debating whether to rush or not?? Speed up PLEASE
Oil prices dipping on hope alone shows how fragile the global economy is right now. One tweet from Trump and markets swing wildly