WASHINGTON: United States President Donald Trump said he had secured guarantees from Iran that it would not develop nuclear weapons, as reports emerged he had sent a tougher peace proposal back to Tehran.
Any tweaks to the proposal could prolong even further an agreement to formally end the Middle East war and open the Strait of Hormuz maritime route after weeks of efforts to secure a deal despite fractious rhetoric and the occasional flare-up of armed conflict.
The New York Times and Axios media outlets reported on Saturday (May 30) that Trump had sent back a new framework to be considered by Iran with “tougher” terms, though it was not immediately clear what that entailed.
Trump has said his priorities for any deal include stopping Iran from any nuclear weapon development and re-opening the blockaded Strait of Hormuz.
“The one guarantee that I have to have is that there will be no nuclear weapons. They’ve agreed to that, and it was very interesting,” he told his daughter-in-law Lara Trump in an interview broadcast on her Fox News programme on Saturday night.
But Tehran has previously cast doubt on Trump’s assertions and the parties appeared far apart on their key priorities.
Iran has said it requires the release of US$12 billion in frozen assets before it moves to substantive talks on issues such as its nuclear programme and called earlier Trump comments that its enriched uranium – a precursor for nuclear weapons – would be destroyed “baseless”, according to Iranian media.
Tehran has also insisted that Lebanon must be included in any end to the war despite ongoing fighting, with Beirut accusing Israel of a “scorched-earth policy” as its forces advanced and carried out further airstrikes it says target Iran-backed group Hezbollah.
After Trump and US officials earlier said they were on the brink of striking a deal, he struck a less urgent tone and hinted at renewed military action in the Fox interview.
“I’m in no hurry,” he said. “Slowly but surely we’re getting, I think, what we want and if we don’t get what we want, we’re going to end in a different way.”