Trump says the US will not 'rush into a deal' with Iran
US President Donald Trump said this Sunday (24) that Washington will not "rush into a deal" with Iran to end the war in the Middle East.
Trump said the American blockade of Iranian ports in the Strait of Hormuz will continue in "full force and effect" until a definitive understanding is reached.
"Negotiations are progressing in an orderly and constructive manner, and I have informed my representatives not to rush into an agreement as time is on our side," Trump wrote in a post on the social network Truth Social.
The US president added that "both sides need to take the necessary time" and stated that the relationship between Washington and Tehran is becoming "much more professional and productive".
Trump also reiterated that Iran "cannot develop or obtain a nuclear weapon or bomb", an issue that remains the main point of friction between the two countries.
The statement comes one day after the American president stated that an agreement between the United States and Iran had already been "largely negotiated" and that the final details would be announced "soon". Trump also said the Strait of Hormuz would be reopened as part of the agreement.
Trump also stated that an eventual agreement with Iran will be completely different from the one signed during the administration of former US President Barack Obama.
"If I make a deal with Iran, it will be a good and proper deal, not like the one Obama made," he wrote, claiming that the previous understanding gave Iran "a clear and open path to obtaining nuclear weapons."
Trump also stated that the new treaty "has not even been fully negotiated" yet and that few know the details of the ongoing talks.
"Our agreement is exactly the opposite, but no one has seen it, nor does anyone know what it is. It hasn't even been fully negotiated yet. So, don't listen to the losers, who criticize something they are completely unaware of," he said.
Meanwhile, Iranian authorities continue to signal resistance to American demands on the country's nuclear program.
A senior Iranian source told Reuters on Sunday that Tehran had not agreed to hand over its stockpile of highly enriched uranium, one of the issues considered central by US and Israeli officials.
According to the source, the nuclear issue is not part of the preliminary agreement currently being negotiated between the two countries.
"The nuclear issue will be addressed in negotiations for a final agreement and is therefore not part of the current agreement," the Iranian official said.
"There was no agreement on Iran's stockpile of highly enriched uranium being shipped out of the country," he added.
(With information from Julia Benbrook and Aileen Graef of CNN and Parisa Hafezi of Reuters)
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Source: CNN