Trump Delays Iran Deal Over Nuclear and Shipping Demands

President Donald Trump said he is in no hurry to finalize an agreement with Iran, stressing that any deal must deliver firm limits on Tehran’s nuclear program and reopen the Strait of Hormuz to unrestricted shipping. Speaking on Fox News, Trump described the talks as moving “slowly but surely” toward U.S. objectives, while making clear that time would not be the overriding factor.

The comments come as U.S. officials have sent a revised framework back to Iran with additional conditions, according to reporting from The New York Times and Axios. The changes center on issues such as the disposition of Iran’s enriched nuclear material and verification measures, though the precise language of the new text has not been disclosed. A senior U.S. official indicated that Iranian negotiators, operating without routine email access, may need several days to formulate a response.

Trump has listed several non-negotiable elements. Iran must forgo any nuclear weapon or bomb, a point he said Tehran has already accepted. The Strait of Hormuz must remain open without tolls or restrictions, and Iran must remove remaining mines beyond those already cleared by U.S. forces. He also referenced the need to address enriched material stored underground. If these terms are not met, Trump stated, the United States would pursue an alternative course.

Iranian officials have pushed back. Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, the country’s chief negotiator, said Tehran will not accept any agreement that fails to secure Iranian rights, including the release of roughly $12 billion in frozen assets. Iranian media have dismissed earlier U.S. suggestions that enriched uranium stockpiles would be destroyed outright. Tehran has further insisted that any settlement address the fighting in Lebanon, where Israeli forces have expanded operations against Hezbollah.

The negotiations occur against the backdrop of a nearly three-month conflict that has involved direct U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iranian targets, Iranian missile and drone responses, and a naval blockade affecting shipping through the Persian Gulf. Both sides have reported isolated incidents, including Iranian claims of downing a U.S. drone and U.S. assertions that it disabled a vessel attempting to reach an Iranian port.

Trump’s public stance reflects a calculation that a durable agreement is more valuable than a rapid one. By emphasizing verification and concrete outcomes over speed, the administration appears focused on locking in constraints that previous diplomatic efforts did not achieve. At the same time, Iran’s insistence on tangible concessions before further commitments underscores the difficulty of bridging gaps on nuclear limits, sanctions relief, and regional security arrangements.

U.S. officials have expressed willingness to extend the timeline if needed, with one noting that a deal could materialize within a week or require additional weeks. The coming days will test whether the revised framework can accommodate both Washington’s security priorities and Tehran’s demands for economic and political assurances.