WASHINGTON/ISLAMABAD (MNN); U.S. President Donald Trump said on Sunday that he has instructed his representatives not to rush into any agreement with Iran, signaling that negotiations remain complex despite earlier optimism about a possible breakthrough.
Trump said the U.S. blockade on Iranian ships in the Strait of Hormuz would remain fully in place until any agreement is finalized, approved, and signed. In a post on Truth Social, he said both sides needed time to ensure the deal is handled correctly.
Iranian officials did not immediately respond. However, Tasnim News Agency reported that disagreements remain, particularly over Tehran’s demand for access to frozen financial assets held abroad.
A day earlier, Trump had said Washington and Tehran had largely negotiated a memorandum of understanding aimed at ending hostilities and reopening the Strait of Hormuz — a vital shipping route that previously handled around one-fifth of global oil and liquefied natural gas exports before the conflict.
Major disagreements remain over Iran’s nuclear programme, sanctions relief, the release of frozen oil revenues, and wider regional tensions including Israel’s war in Lebanon involving Hezbollah.
A senior U.S. official said no agreement was expected to be signed on Sunday, but claimed Iran had agreed “in principle” to reopen the Strait of Hormuz in exchange for the lifting of the U.S. naval blockade and to address its stockpile of highly enriched uranium. The official added that details of the nuclear arrangements would require further negotiations.
Another senior official said the proposed framework would allow negotiators 60 days to reach a final agreement.
Iran has consistently denied allegations by the U.S. and Israel that it is seeking nuclear weapons, maintaining that its uranium enrichment programme is intended for peaceful civilian use.
The possible agreement has drawn criticism inside the United States. Former officials and Democratic lawmakers argued that its reported terms resemble the 2015 Iran nuclear agreement negotiated under former President Barack Obama, which Trump withdrew from during his first term.
Meanwhile, an adviser to Iran’s supreme leadership said Tehran retains the legal right to manage the Strait of Hormuz. Iran’s Revolutionary Guards said 33 vessels passed through the strait in the last 24 hours after receiving approval from Tehran — significantly below normal pre-war traffic.
Analysts say any deal could help ease market concerns, but a full recovery in shipping and energy supplies through the strait may take until 2027.
