President Donald Trump teased over the weekend that the United States is close to inking a peace deal with Iran to end the war in the Middle East.
Trump announced on Saturday that the deal had been “largely negotiated” and that the final details would be rolled out shortly. Trump’s first announcement of the deal on Truth Social sparked some skepticism from Iran war hawks, as the president only specifically mentioned one facet of the deal: reopening the Strait of Hormuz.
Recommended Stories
But shortly afterward, amid speculation from lawmakers such as Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) over leaks about the deal, Trump reiterated that his administration is still demanding Iran turn over its enriched uranium — a major sticking point for pro-Israel Americans.
“Our relationship with Iran is becoming a much more professional and productive one,” Trump wrote Sunday on Truth Social. “They must understand, however, that they cannot develop or procure a Nuclear Weapon or Bomb.”
So, as reports swirl over what points are in the peace deal, here is what to know about the treaty that is being negotiated.
What is included in the deal
A senior Trump administration official told the Washington Examiner over the weekend that the U.S. is largely focused on two major facets of any deal to end the war: eliminating Iran’s means to develop a nuclear weapon and relieving the financial pressure on the global economy by opening the Strait of Hormuz.
THE IRAN TALKS: HOW THE ADMINISTRATION SEES THINGS NOW
“Step No. 1, they open the Strait, we lift the blockade, we give the world economy some breathing room, and then part of Step 1 is they commit to giving up their highly enriched material,” the administration official said. “And then Step 2 is you actually figure out the details, the mechanism by which they give up that highly enriched stockpile, and you negotiate over a certain period of time, probably 30 days.”
The reopening of the Strait of Hormuz would alleviate the strain on the world’s energy economy. Oil and gas prices have soared since Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps put a chokehold on the vital oil shipping strait at the start of the war. Secretary of State Marco Rubio reiterated the importance of opening the Strait on Tuesday, calling its closure “unsustainable” for the global energy economy and “unacceptable.”
The other U.S. administration official called the negotiation over the Iran nuclear program a “no-dust, no-dollars concept,” explaining that Iran does not get rewarded unless the administration actually sees the regime taking action and giving up its uranium stockpile, what Trump has called “nuclear dust.”
“We are structuring this in such a way where they make commitments on the enriched stockpile but they don’t get a dime unless they deliver on their commitments,” the Trump administration official said.
Trump spoke to that on Monday, writing in a Truth Social post that Tehran’s enriched uranium must be turned over or destroyed.
“The Enriched Uranium (Nuclear Dust!) will either be immediately turned over to the United States to be brought home and destroyed or, preferably, in conjunction and coordination with the Islamic Republic of Iran, destroyed in place or, at another acceptable location, with the Atomic Energy Commission, or its equivalent, being witness to this process and event,” Trump wrote.
However, according to the Associated Press, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmail Baghaei said this weekend that “the focus of the negotiations is on ending the war, and at this stage we are not discussing the details of the nuclear issue.”
Along with negotiations over the regime’s nuclear program, the lifting of the Strait of Hormuz, and, on the U.S. side, the lifting of the U.S. blockade, the deal would also simply put an end to the war and airstrikes that began on Feb. 28.
According to the outlet, Iran has maintained that any deal inked with the U.S. would need to put an end to all the fighting, including in Lebanon between Israel and Hezbollah, which is supported by the Iranian regime. The proposed deal includes an end to the fighting in Lebanon and Iran’s support for the Guard’s regional proxy groups, but details over how Israel can respond to threats are still being finalized, according to AP reporting, based on conversations with regional and U.S. officials.
How do Israel and other Middle Eastern countries feel about the deal?
Trump announced the “largely negotiated” deal on Saturday after having separate phone conversations with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and with the leaders of several Arab Middle Eastern countries, including Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and Qatar.
ISRAEL INTENSIFIES STRIKES ON HEZBOLLAH AS US-IRAN DIPLOMACY MAY FORCE LEBANON CEASEFIRE
Reports have suggested that Israeli officials have been largely removed from the direct negotiations with the Arab countries, as they continue to strike Hezbollah.
“We are not taking our foot off the gas,” Netanyahu said Monday on the Israeli strikes against Hezbollah. “On the contrary, I said to step on the gas even more. We will strike them.”
In a public statement on the negotiations, Netanyahu focused on the enriched uranium and Israeli defense.
“President Trump and I agreed that any final agreement with Iran must eliminate the nuclear danger,” Netanyahu said. “That means dismantling Iran’s nuclear enrichment sites and removing its enriched nuclear material from its territory. President Trump also reaffirmed Israel’s right to defend itself against threats on every front, including Lebanon. The partnership between us and our two countries has been proven on the battlefield and has never been stronger.”
The surrounding Gulf States, which are seeking an end to the fighting in the region, are also now faced with a request from Trump to join the Abraham Accords and establish relations with Israel. Pakistan has not reacted fondly to the idea, with the country’s defense minister saying it “clashes with our fundamental ideologies.”
Where are the negotiations now?
U.S. and Iranian negotiators are meeting in Doha, Qatar, this week to flesh out the peace deal on the table as they seek an end to the war and each of their aims.
“I think it’s a lot of talking back and forth going on about specific language in the initial document, so it’ll take a few days,” Rubio told reporters on Tuesday. “The president’s expressed his desire to make it. He’s either going to make a good deal or no deal.”
Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, the speaker of the Iranian parliament, and Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi are leading Iran’s negotiating team.
TRUMP SAYS GULF STATES SHOULD RECOGNIZE ISRAEL AS PART OF DEAL TO END IRAN WAR
Trump said Sunday that he told U.S. negotiators “not to rush into a deal in that time is on our side.”
Economic pundits, including Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, have said the main time-sensitive area on the U.S. side surrounds the Strait of Hormuz volatility, as gas and fertilizer prices affected by the uncertainty in the waterway have remained a main topic in the U.S. affordability conversation.
