Trump meeting to make ‘final determination’ on Iran deal reportedly ends without decision

US President Donald Trump announced Friday that he was heading to the White House Situation Room to make a “final decision” on a memorandum of understanding to extend the ceasefire with Iran and reopen the Strait of Hormuz.

But the meeting ended after two hours without a decision, a senior administration official told the New York Times, insisting that a deal was still close but required further debate on issues such as unfreezing Iranian funds.

“President Trump will only make a deal that is good for America and meets his red lines,” a White House official told AFP on condition of anonymity after the meeting. “Iran can never possess nuclear weapons.”

Announcing the meeting in a post on his Truth Social platform, Trump insisted that Iran’s stockpiles of highly enriched uranium would be extracted and destroyed by the United States, even though such a clause is not included in the terms of the memorandum of understanding.

Iran’s Foreign Ministry responded that negotiations were ongoing but “no final agreement has been reached yet,” contradicting the White House’s assertion that Trump’s approval was the last thing needed before a deal could be reached.

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The department also denied Trump’s suggestion that Iran would give up its enriched uranium.

“We are focused on ending the war and there are no negotiations on the nuclear issue,” ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei told state television.

A senior Iranian source told Reuters that although a political agreement had been reached, it was not yet finalized.

The memorandum of understanding announced Thursday by the White House would reopen the Strait of Hormuz and extend the current ceasefire in Iran by 60 days. Meanwhile, Washington and Tehran are said to be holding further discussions on scaling back Iran’s nuclear program.

A woman waves an Iranian flag in front of an anti-US billboard referring to US President Donald Trump and the Strait of Hormuz, at Valiasr Square in Tehran, Iran, May 5, 2026. (AFP)

The memorandum of understanding is also expected to include financial incentives for Iran, possibly including sanctions relief. Iranian and other officials cited by The New York Times also said the memorandum of understanding provided for an “investment fund” for Iran’s reconstruction that two of the sources estimated at $300 billion.

The plan would mirror an earlier proposal by Trump negotiators Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, both real estate investors, and Iranian officials have been reported to have proposed that major U.S. companies pursue projects with Iran.

But in his Truth Social post on Friday, Trump said, “No money will be exchanged, until further notice.” He also reiterated his wish that the United States would exhume and destroy Iranian “nuclear dust” in close coordination with Iran and the United Nations nuclear energy agency.

“Iran must accept that it will never have nuclear weapons or nuclear bombs,” Trump said. “The Strait of Hormuz must be immediately opened, without toll, to unrestricted maritime traffic in both directions. »

He added that “Iran will complete the immediate removal and/or detonation” of all “water mines” it has laid in the Strait of Hormuz that have not yet been removed by “our large underwater minesweepers.”

White House envoys Jared Kushner, left, and Steve Witkoff, listen as U.S. Vice President JD Vance (not pictured) speaks at a news conference after meeting with officials from Pakistan and Iran, in Islamabad, Pakistan, April 12, 2026. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin, Pool)

Additionally, Trump said, “Ships stuck in the Strait due to our incredible and unprecedented naval blockade, which will now be lifted, could begin the process of ‘coming home!’ » »

This comment suggests that Trump has already decided to lift the US naval blockade, which was supposed to happen only once the memorandum of understanding was signed, according to leaked details of the memorandum of understanding confirmed by the White House on Thursday.

It was unclear whether Iran had since demanded that the blockade be lifted in advance in order to move forward, or whether Trump’s statement was simply poorly worded.

Meanwhile, Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth warned that the United States had more than sufficient weapons stockpiles and was “more than capable” of resuming war with Iran.

“Our ability to start again if necessary is that we are more than capable, our stockpiles are more than adequate for that, both there and around the world, because of the way we balance exquisite and more abundant munitions,” Hegseth said at the first Asian Defense Summit in Singapore.

Earlier, in addition to the outstanding issues, “other, much less important, points were agreed upon,” Trump said. “I will meet now, in the situation room, to make a final decision.”

Informed sources cited by Iran’s Fars news agency said Trump’s comments were a “mixture of truth and lies.”

“Trump claimed that Iran was obliged to open the Strait of Hormuz without tolls, even though no such clause is included in the text of the agreement,” Fars said.

Centrifuges line a room at Iran’s Natanz uranium enrichment facility in a still image from a video released by the Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting Company on April 17, 2021, six days after the room was damaged in a mysterious attack. (IRIB via AP)

The sources also said Iran was demanding “the immediate release of $12 billion in frozen Iranian assets” and warned that “until this payment is made, Iran will not move to the next phase of negotiations.”

Regarding Lebanon, which Hezbollah dragged into a wider regional war on March 2, the sources cited by Fars reiterated Tehran’s demand for a “complete ceasefire”, in line with the demands of the Iran-backed terrorist group, which refuses to disarm.

Any violation of the ceasefire in Lebanon would trigger “immediate retaliation,” the sources said.

Regarding Trump’s claim that Washington and Tehran are coordinating to destroy Iran’s enriched uranium, Fars said: “Knowledgeable sources have pointed out that not only does this not appear in the memorandum of understanding, but this assertion is fundamentally baseless. »

They added that the destruction of Iran’s nuclear material is also not included.

Destroyed buildings are pictured in the village of Kfarkila in southern Lebanon, seen across the border in Israel’s northern Upper Galilee region, May 29, 2026. (Jalaa MAREY / AFP)

While Iran, whose leaders have sworn to destroy Israel, denies seeking nuclear weapons, it has amassed uranium enriched to levels without civilian application.

The stockpile of highly enriched materials is believed to have been buried underground since the United States struck three key Iranian nuclear sites during Israel’s 12-day war with Iran in June.

Top Iranian negotiator says goals will be achieved through missiles, not dialogue

Iran’s top negotiator, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, said on Friday that the Islamic Republic would “obtain its rights not through dialogue, but with missiles” and that it would judge Washington by its actions rather than its words.

Iran will not act unless the other side does so first, Ghalibaf said, adding: “The winner of any deal is the one who plans the next day’s war better.” »

Separately, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said Friday that he had discussed the future of the Strait of Hormuz with Omani Foreign Minister Badr Albusaidi.

The New York Times reported last week that Oman favored a plan proposed by Iran under which the two countries would jointly charge fees to ships passing through the strait, despite the United States’ insistence that it would not let Tehran impose tolls on the crucial waterway.

In a very productive call with FM @badralbusaidi, he expressed Iran’s solidarity with Oman in the face of any threat.

We discussed Hormuz and its future administration in accordance with our sovereign responsibilities and international law. We support consultation with all neighboring states. pic.twitter.com/MB6EVYNkNn

– Seyed Abbas Araghchi (@araghchi) May 29, 2026

Iran blocked the strait, strangling about a fifth of global oil shipments, after the United States and Israel launched a bombing campaign on the Islamic Republic on Feb. 28 in a bid to destabilize its regime and destroy its ballistic missile and nuclear programs.

Trump announced a ceasefire in Iran on April 8 and imposed a U.S. blockade on Iran-linked shipping five days later. The United States and Iran have exchanged fire in recent days across the strait for the first time since the ceasefire.

On Thursday evening, Iran’s semi-official Tasnim news agency reported that the noises coming from the sea were caused by an exchange of fire intended to warn ships in the strait.

Fars News Agency also reported that the Iranian armed forces carried out a missile launch operation from the country’s southern region towards specified targets, but the destination of the missiles was still unclear.

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