Iran “really wants to make a deal,” but “we are not yet satisfied,” U.S. President Donald Trump said during a cabinet meeting. “But we will be satisfied – or alternatively we will have to finish the job,” he added.
The president reiterated his determination to secure a favorable agreement to end the conflict with Iran, saying Tehran’s apparent tactic of delaying to obtain better terms will not succeed. He stressed that he is not rushing the process because of the November midterm elections. “They thought they could hurry me, you know? ‘Let’s wait, he has the midterms,'” Trump said at the cabinet meeting. “I don’t care about the midterms. Look what happened last night, it was a prelude to the midterms. People understand,” he added, referring to the victory of the candidate he supported in the Texas Republican Senate primary, Ken Paxton.
Trump also pointed to the partial restoration of internet access in Iran as a sign of weakening in the regime, asserting that “the entire economic system is in crisis.” “They simply want to make a deal,” he said. “I don’t think they have a choice.”
In a brief phone interview with PBS News, Trump stated that Washington will not lift any sanctions on Iran in exchange for the surrender of nuclear material. “No, no, absolutely not. No easing of sanctions, no,” he said.
Earlier, Iranian state television published a draft memorandum of understanding between the U.S. and Iran intended to end the conflict and restore commercial navigation through the Strait of Hormuz. According to Tehran, key points would include U.S. commitments to ease restrictions on Iranian maritime traffic and to withdraw some military forces from areas around Iran. In return, Iran would restore commercial traffic in the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman to pre-conflict levels within a month. The Strait of Hormuz, however, would not be fully reopened: controls and transit management would remain with Iran in coordination with Oman, and U.S. military vessels would be excluded from the arrangement.
But the White House quickly denied the report. “No one should believe what state television is broadcasting,” wrote Rapid Response, an account aligned with President Donald Trump’s administration, on X, rejecting the suggestion that a preliminary agreement is underway between Washington and Tehran.
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