Trump Will Only Accept Iran Deal That ‘Satisfies His Red Lines’

US President Donald Trump

Trump Will Only Accept Iran Deal That ‘Satisfies His Red Lines’

WASHINGTON, D.C. – President Donald Trump has deferred his “final determination” on a potential ceasefire agreement with Iran after a two-hour meeting with his national security team at the White House Situation Room, insisting that he will only accept a deal that “satisfies his red lines” and guarantees that “Iran can never possess a nuclear weapon” . The Situation Room meeting, which lasted approximately two hours on Friday, concluded without a final decision from the President. “President Trump will only make a deal that is good for America and satisfies his redlines. Iran can never possess a nuclear weapon,” a White House official said in a statement following the meeting, speaking on condition of anonymity . It was not immediately clear why Trump did not reach a decision, though officials indicated that key disputes remain unresolved, including the matter of unfreezing Iranian assets .

Earlier on Friday, Trump took to his Truth Social platform to outline his conditions for a potential agreement. He wrote that “Iran must agree that they will never have a Nuclear Weapon or Bomb” and demanded that “the Hormuz Strait must be immediately open, no tolls, for unrestricted shipping traffic, in both directions” . The President added that “all water mines (bombs), if any, will be terminated” and that the U.S. naval blockade “will now be lifted” . Trump had earlier stated that he had ordered US negotiators “not to rush into a deal” with Iran, amid growing expectations and criticism of an accord to end the Middle East conflict. “The negotiations are proceeding in an orderly and constructive manner, and I have informed my representatives not to rush into a deal in that time is on our side,” Trump wrote . “The blockade will remain in full force and effect until an agreement is reached, certified, and signed” . The United States has imposed an embargo on Iranian ports since April 13, after Tehran essentially stopped transportation through the economically critical Strait of Hormuz in reaction to US-Israeli airstrikes on Iran that began on February 28 .

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Regarding Iran’s nuclear materials, Trump insisted that the country’s enriched uranium stockpiles will be “unearthed by the United States in close coordination and conjunction with Iran and the International Atomic Energy Agency and destroyed” . “Both sides must take their time and get it right,” Trump wrote while slamming the 2015 nuclear deal that former president Barack Obama agreed to with Iran . On financial compensation, Trump stated that “no money will be exchanged, until further notice,” dismissing both Iran’s demands for war reparations and any suggestion of U.S. investments .

Iran has vehemently rejected Trump’s characterization of the potential agreement. Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei said in a phone interview with Iranian state media on Friday that current negotiations were limited in scope and did not include “the nuclear issue,” directly contradicting Trump’s framing of the talks . Speaking to state television, Baghaei emphasized that Tehran does not accept directives from Western governments. “Tehran has said goodbye to the language of ‘must’ 47 years ago. None of the Western parties can use the language of ‘must’ when they talk about the Islamic Republic of Iran. We make our own decisions based on the interests and rights of the Iranian nation,” Baghaei said . Baghaei also addressed Trump’s comments on the Strait of Hormuz, emphasizing that the strategically important waterway falls within the territorial waters of both Iran and Oman . He also disclosed that the two sides are working to finalize a memorandum of understanding (MoU) consisting of 14 clauses . “Our intention has been to firstly agree on a MoU consisting of 14 clauses,” Baghaei said, noting that “within a period of 30 to 60 days,” they would “reach a final agreement” . “We are at the stage of finalizing the MoU. The issues that are being discussed are focused on ending the war (on all fronts, including Lebanon). Among the major topics to be addressed in the MoU are the cessation of U.S. maritime attacks, or naval blockade as they themselves call it, and other issues pertaining to the release of Iranian frozen assets” .

Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf expressed deep scepticism about any deal with the United States, writing on social media: “We do not trust guarantees and words; only actions are the criterion. No action will be taken before the other side acts” . He added that the Islamic Republic “achieved its rights not through dialogue, but with missiles,” warning that “the victor in any agreement is the one who plans better for the war on the day after” . Ibrahim Azizi, chairman of the Iranian parliament’s National Security and Foreign Policy Commission, stressed that Iran will not retreat from its “red lines” under pressure from Trump’s rhetoric. He identified Iran’s red lines as including the right to enrich uranium, possession of enriched uranium, authority over the Strait of Hormuz, and the removal of sanctions.

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Several Republican voices close to Trump have expressed fears of an agreement beneficial to Iran as details of the potential deal began to leak . The main Republican senator in charge of military policy, Roger Wicker, stated that agreeing to a “rumored 60-day ceasefire” with Iran would mean that “everything accomplished by Operation Epic Fury would be for naught!” . Fellow Republican senators Ted Cruz and Lindsey Graham have also expressed objection to Iran potentially getting perks such as the right to freely sell its oil. “If the result of all that is to be an Iranian regime — still run by Islamists who chant ‘death to America’ — now receiving billions of dollars, being able to enrich uranium & develop nuclear weapons, and having effective control over the Strait of Hormuz, then that outcome would be a disastrous mistake,” Cruz wrote on X . Thom Tillis, a Republican senator from North Carolina, said the deal “doesn’t make sense to me.” “We were told about 11 weeks ago by (Secretary of Defense Pete) Hegseth and the Department of Defense that they had obliterated Iran’s defenses, and it was just a matter of time before we had the nuclear material. Now we’re talking about a posture where we may accept the nuclear material remaining in Iran. How does that make sense at all?” Tillis said on CNN’s “State of the Union” morning program .

U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth warned at the Shangri-La Dialogue that “if Iran doesn’t want to make a great deal that ensures they don’t get a nuclear weapon,” then Iran can “deal with” the U.S. military . This statement underscores the continued threat of military action should negotiations fail to produce an agreement acceptable to Washington. Regional tensions escalated significantly earlier this year when the United States and Israel launched strikes against Iran on February 28. Tehran retaliated with strikes targeting Israel as well as U.S. allies in the Gulf, along with the closure of the Strait of Hormuz. A ceasefire took effect on April 8 through Pakistani mediation and was later extended by Trump indefinitely . As of Saturday, the proposed 60-day ceasefire extension and the broader memorandum of understanding remain pending Trump’s final determination, with both sides publicly staking out positions that appear, at least for now, irreconcilable.