Trump Delays Iran Deal Over Nuclear and Shipping Demands

President Donald Trump said he was in no rush to finalize an agreement with Iran, telling Fox News that his administration was making progress slowly but surely on preventing Tehran from acquiring nuclear weapons. The remarks came as US media reported that Trump had sent a revised and tougher framework back to Iranian negotiators, potentially delaying any formal end to the nearly three-month conflict involving the United States, Israel and Iran.

Speaking on a program hosted by his daughter-in-law Lara Trump, the president stressed that the sole non-negotiable element remained a complete bar on Iranian nuclear arms. He added that Tehran had already accepted this condition, though Iranian officials have repeatedly questioned that assertion in public statements. Trump also listed additional requirements, including the immediate reopening of the Strait of Hormuz without tolls, the clearance of remaining mines in the waterway and restrictions on Iranian enriched uranium stockpiles.

US officials familiar with the talks told Axios and The New York Times that the latest revisions were sent to Iran on Friday after Trump reviewed the proposal in the White House Situation Room. One senior official indicated it could take several days for Tehran to respond, noting that Iranian negotiators were operating from locations without routine email access. The same official expressed willingness to wait until the president obtained the terms he sought, suggesting a timeline ranging from less than a week to longer.

Iranian chief negotiator Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf countered on Sunday that no agreement would be approved unless Iranian rights were fully secured. He emphasized the absence of trust in US promises and stated that tangible results must precede any Iranian commitments. Iranian reports have highlighted demands for the release of approximately twelve billion dollars in frozen assets before substantive discussions on the nuclear file can advance, while dismissing earlier US suggestions that enriched uranium stocks would be destroyed outright.

The diplomatic maneuvering occurs against the backdrop of ongoing military operations. On day 93 of the war, Israeli forces claimed to have seized a strategic site in southern Lebanon, marking their deepest incursion into the country in more than two decades. Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps reported shooting down a US drone near its territorial waters, and a senior Iranian commander warned that further aggression would be met with a stronger response. Tehran has also insisted that any comprehensive deal must address the fighting in Lebanon.

Trump’s insistence that he is under no pressure to conclude talks quickly contrasts with the continued naval blockade and intermittent clashes described in regional reporting. Iranian state media portrayed the US moves as undermining diplomacy, while US officials maintained that the revised terms were necessary to address gaps in verification and implementation. Both sides have signaled openness to an eventual accord, yet the distance between Washington’s expanded conditions and Tehran’s core requirements leaves the outcome uncertain in the near term.