Donald Trump Says US Not Satisfied With Iran Talks, Demands Gulf Normalization With Israel

U.S. President Donald Trump said at a Wednesday cabinet meeting that the United States is "not satisfied" with what it is seeing in talks with Iran, even as he said Iran is "very much intent" on reaching an agreement to end the war.

Trump warned that if talks fizzle out, the U.S. will "have to just finish the job," and he said he is "not sure we should make the deal" unless neighboring Gulf countries normalize ties with Israel under the Abraham Accords.

Al Jazeera

The White House also denied an Iranian state media report, calling it "complete fabrication," after the report claimed the U.S. would lift a naval blockade and withdraw troops in exchange for Iranian steps on maritime traffic through the Strait of Hormuz.

Trump insisted that in any deal the Strait of Hormuz will "open immediately" and rejected the idea of Iran and Oman having control, saying "It’s international waters" and "Nobody’s going to control it."

The talks are occurring while a fragile ceasefire has been in place since April 8, after the war began on February 28 with a U.S.-Israeli bombing campaign against Iran.

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio told reporters that there had been "some progress and some interest" in negotiations, while Trump said the deal "has got to be perfect" and that the Strait of Hormuz would be open immediately after a deal is reached.

The White House said the Iranian state television report of a framework deal was "not true" and that the cited memorandum was "a complete fabrication," after the report said the U.S. would restore shipping through the Strait of Hormuz within a month and lift a U.S. naval blockade.

Al Jazeera

Iran’s state TV said the framework excludes military vessels and envisages Iran managing ship traffic through the strait in co-operation with Oman, and it said Tehran would take no steps without "tangible verification."

In the same exchange, Trump said "We’ll watch over it, but nobody’s going to control it" and added that Oman would have to "behave just like everybody else" or the U.S. would "blow 'em up."

The BBC reported that Trump told reporters he had instructed his negotiators "not to rush into" a deal, after the White House branded the reported text a "complete fabrication."

The dispute over the Strait of Hormuz sits alongside the nuclear issue, with Trump saying his key aim in the war is to prevent Iran from developing a nuclear weapon with its highly enriched uranium and with negotiations on the uranium stockpile described as not imminent.

“Iran could open Strait of Hormuz within a month if terms agreed, state TV says By Elwely Elwelly and Jana Choukeir May 27 (Reuters) - Tehran would restore shipping through the Strait of Hormuz to pre-war levels within a month in a framework deal with the U”

Al-Monitor

The BBC said the Iranian draft reported by Iranian media did not mention Iran giving up its nuclear ambitions or handing over its stockpile of highly enriched uranium, while Trump denied reports he was considering easing sanctions on Tehran or allowing Russia and China to remove Iran’s highly enriched uranium.

Al Jazeera reported that no deal appeared imminent after another exchange of fire, with Iran and the United States continuing negotiations through intermediaries and with the ceasefire still in place since April 8.

The Guardian framed Trump’s accusation that Iran is trying to "outwait" him until November’s U.S. midterm elections, and Trump said he does not care about the midterms while insisting "we’re not satisfied with it" and "we will be".

As talks continue, the CBC reported that Trump said the Iranian economy has been "clobbered" and that he felt no pressure to strike a deal given the approaching U.S. midterm elections on Nov. 3, even as Rubio said the next hours and days could be crucial.