WASHINGTON: US President Donald Trump lowered expectations for a Middle East deal on Sunday. He said US negotiators had been told not to rush, despite signs of progress from both Tehran and Washington toward ending the war.
A ceasefire has been observed by the United States and Iran since April 8. Mediation efforts for a negotiated settlement have continued. However, controls on Gulf shipping have been imposed by Iran, while Iranian ports have remained under a US blockade.
The conflict was triggered after strikes were launched on February 28 against Iran by the United States and Israel. Missile and drone attacks across the region were later carried out by Iran in response.
“I have informed my representatives not to rush into a deal because time is on our side,” Trump said in a social media post.
He added that the blockade would remain fully in place until an agreement was reached, certified and signed.
Earlier, Trump had said the agreement had been “largely negotiated,” pending final approval by the United States, Iran and other involved countries.
Iran’s Tasnim News Agency reported that several key clauses of the proposed deal remained unresolved, including the issue of frozen Iranian assets.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio told The New York Times that the proposed agreement had gained regional backing. However, he said a nuclear deal could not be completed “in 72 hours on the back of a napkin.”
Rubio said seven or eight countries in the region had endorsed the approach and were prepared to move forward.
Earlier, Rubio had suggested that a deal to end the regional conflict could be reached as soon as Sunday.
Trump later reduced expectations again, saying any deal with Iran would have to be “good and proper.” He added that negotiations had not yet been fully completed.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, a close Trump ally, said both leaders had agreed that any final agreement must completely eliminate the nuclear threat posed by Iran.
Iranian officials confirmed that a draft agreement existed. However, they said discussions on uranium enrichment had been postponed for 60 days after any deal.
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said Tehran remained ready to assure the world that nuclear weapons were not being pursued. It remained unclear whether that commitment would be formally included in the agreement.
According to Iran’s Fars News Agency, sanctions on oil, gas and petrochemical exports would be temporarily lifted during negotiations, allowing Iran to freely sell its products.
Leaders from Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Egypt, Jordan and Bahrain, along with representatives from Turkey and Pakistan, joined a call with Trump on Saturday to discuss the proposed agreement.
Pakistan, which facilitated direct talks between US and Iranian delegations in April, is expected to host another round of negotiations soon, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said.
He added that Pakistan’s army chief Asim Munir, who visited Tehran on Friday and Saturday, also joined the call. The discussion was described as a useful step toward advancing peace efforts and achieving long-term regional stability.
