US President Donald Trump has not spoken on the subject since the Situation Room meeting on Friday, before which he mentioned that an outcome is possible on that day. However, he reiterated his demands of Iran not pursuing a nuclear weapons program, and restoring the Strait of Hormuz status as a “free, international waterway.”
According to Iran’s semi-official Tasnim News Agency quoting IRGC officials, amendments continue to be proposed by both sides. The officials also warned that both parties may ultimately reject the deal and the talks could collapse.
“Talks and message exchanges are ongoing, and until a definite result is reached, it is not possible to judge,” Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi told Tasnim, adding that everything being said right now is just “speculation” and should not be given importance.
Iranian State TV On Saturday
Over the weekend, Iran’s state TV reported about the existence of a new agreement, which, according to them, gives it exclusive rights to handle and determine the nature of transiting vessels in the Strait of Hormuz, a point the US is unlikely to accept, and has rejected before as well.
The draft further states that US will give Iran access to $12 billion in frozen funds over the next 60 days and that money will be sent directly to Iranian banks, according to the state TV reports, citing the document which was “unofficial” and “not finalized.”
The White House has not issued an official statement in this regard.
Sporadic Attacks Continue
Even as negotiations continue, reports of both parties exchanging attacks and retaliatory strikes continued. According to a Bloomberg report citing sources, an Iranian ballistic missile strike on a Kuwaiti air base recently injured several US personnel and seriously damaged two MQ-9 Reaper strike drones, each costing $30 million each.
While the US Central Command did not officially comment on these attacks, it said that it disabled a Gambia-flagged vessel heading to an Iranian port on Friday by firing a Hellfire missile into its engine room after the crew ignored 20 warnings.
The Israel-Lebanon Conflict
Meanwhile, Israeli military said that Hezbollah, backed by Iran, fired over 300 projectiles at its soldiers in Lebanon and North Israel over the weekend.
Israel’s defence minister said that the Military planted the Israeli flag on the historic Beaufort castle near the city of Nabatieh and that amounted to a “permanent presence” in the region.
