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30-05-2026
WASHINGTON: US President Donald Trump had a meeting with top aides on Friday to make a “final determination” about a framework for extending the ceasefire with Iran, but it concluded without clarity on the next steps.
He said Iran must agree to never have a nuclear weapon or bomb, that the Strait of Hormuz be reopened for “unrestricted shipping traffic, in both directions”, and that any mines in the waterway are “destroyed”.
The meeting was held in the White House’s Situation Room, used for dealing with major crises. Iran earlier said it was not negotiating on its nuclear program which it insists is wholly for civilian purposes.
On Thursday, the two countries had agreed a framework of a deal known as a memorandum of understanding pending the approval of Trump and Iran’s leadership, according to US officials.
The deal would reportedly extend the ceasefire for 60 days and launch talks on the future of Iran’s nuclear program.
“President Trump will only make a deal that is good for America and satisfies his red lines. Iran can never possess a nuclear weapon,” a White House official told media.
Since the ceasefire came into effect on 8 April, Trump repeatedly has suggested that US and Iran are close to a deal and negotiations are progressing, but so far there have been no substantive results.
In a social media post earlier on Friday, Trump said he was prepared to lift the US naval blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, allowing ships caught in the waterway to “start the process of ‘heading home!’”
He also insisted that Iran allow the US to remove and destroy its enriched uranium.
“No money will be exchanged, until further notice,” he said. “Other items, of far less importance, have been agreed to.”
Later, a White House official confirmed to media that the meeting in the Situation Room had concluded. The official provided no further details.
Iran’s Fars news agency cited informed sources as saying that Trump’s latest comments were a “mixture of truth and lies”.
There was no provision to destroy nuclear materials in the memorandum of understanding, the agency reported.
Meanwhile, Iran’s foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei told state TV it was “focused on ending the war, and there are no negotiations on the nuclear issue”.
The US has long demanded that Iran stop producing highly enriched uranium and dispose of its existing stockpile, which in theory could be used to create nuclear weapons.
Iran says its nuclear program is entirely peaceful and denies it is seeking to develop nuclear weapons.
The possibility of the US being able to “recommence” strikes in Iran was floated by US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth.
Speaking at a security summit in Singapore, he said “our stockpiles are more than suited for that, both there and around the globe, because of how we balance exquisite and more plentiful munitions,” and added; “so we’re in a very good place”.
The US and Israel launched strikes against Iran on 28 February. Iran responded by attacking Israel and US-allied states in the Gulf, and effectively closed the strait, which has sent global oil prices soaring. In normal times about 20% of the world’s energy supplies gets shipped through the strait.
On Thursday, US Vice-President JD Vance said negotiators were “going back and forth on a couple of language points”, including the “question of enrichment”.
“We’re not there yet, but we’re very close and we’re going to keep on working at it,” he said. (Int’l Monitoring Desk)
