WASHINGTON: President Donald Trump has sought to change several terms of a proposal to end the Middle East war, US media reported Saturday (May 30), as a finalised deal remains elusive among the parties.
The New York Times reported Trump’s changes involved toughening the terms of the deal, and has sent the new framework back to be considered by Iran, according to officials familiar with the proceedings.
The report said it was not immediately clear what the changes entailed, but news site Axios reported Trump wanted to reinforce multiple points of the deal that he personally felt were important, such as what is done to Iran’s nuclear material.
The new tweaks could prolong negotiations between the parties for days before a decision is reached on whether the deal would end the war, which began after the US and Israel launched joint strikes on Iran on Feb 28.
US sources had told AFP that the proposal had been waiting on Trump’s sign-off, but he made no decision after a White House Situation Room meeting on Friday.
Trump has said his priorities for any deal included Iran agreeing to never develop nuclear weapons and the re-opening of the blockaded Strait of Hormuz, through which roughly 20 per cent of the world’s oil supply transits.