Donald Trump has said he is “not satisfied” with the terms of the deal that has been negotiated with Iran, despite claiming again that Tehran wants “very much to make a deal”.
Speaking to reporters at a cabinet meeting at the White House, Trump said Iran has not yet put forward a proposal which suits the US.
“Iran is very much intent, they want very much to make a deal. So far they haven’t gotten there … we’re not satisfied with it, but we will be. We will be either that or we’ll have to just finish the job,” the US president said.
Under a potential framework deal, he added, the Strait of Hormuz would open immediately – but it would not be controlled by anybody.
This comes in spite of claims by Iranian state media on Wednesday that a draft framework of a memorandum of understanding stipulated that the strait would be managed by Iran and Oman, with the passage of commercial shipping restored to pre-war levels.
“We’ll watch over it, but nobody’s going to control it,” Trump said. “That’s part of the negotiation that we have. They would like to control it. Nobody’s going to control it. It’s international waters and Oman will behave just like everybody else or we’ll have to blow them up.”
The White House and Oman’s embassy in Washington have not yet commented on Trump’s comment on Oman.
Trump also said that he was not comfortable with Russia or China taking Iran’s stockpile of highly enriched uranium.
Iranian state TV had claimed that Tehran would restore shipping through the Strait of Hormuz to pre-war levels within a month, in a framework which would also see the US withdraw forces from Iran’s vicinity and end a naval blockade of Iranian shipping.
The TV channel said it had obtained an unofficial draft of the agreement, but stressed it was not final and may not be agreed.
There was notably no mention of Iran’s nuclear programme, which Trump has said must be dismantled. Agreement on the nuclear issue has proved to be a stumbling block between the two sides as the war approaches its fourth month.
The White House dismissed the report, but spokesperson Olivia Wales later added that negotiations with Iran were nonetheless proceeding nicely, adding that Trump has made his red lines clear.
