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Deal Talks Stall
Iran accused President Donald Trump of “betraying diplomacy for the third time” as the United States warned it was “more than capable” of resuming war with Iran, with the White House signalling Trump was close to an initial deal after weeks of mixed signals.
The Daily Star said the US sources had told AFP the deal was waiting on Trump’s sign-off, but that the president made no decision after a two-hour meeting in the White House Situation Room on Friday in Washington.
The same report said Trump’s red lines included Tehran never being able to develop nuclear weapons, while Mohsen Rezaei, an adviser to Iran’s Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei, said Trump was “betraying diplomacy for the third time” by continuing a naval blockade and making excessive demands.
France 24 reported that Iran’s adviser to Iran’s Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei said Trump was “betraying diplomacy for the third time” by continuing a naval blockade in the Strait of Hormuz and making what he described as excessive demands.
The Daily Star added that Iranian foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei said “no final agreement has been reached yet,” even as Trump said Tehran would remove mines from the Strait of Hormuz and end its closure of the waterway with “no tolls.”
Hegseth Threatens
As negotiations remained unresolved, Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth warned that Washington could restart the war with Iran if it wanted, saying “Our ability to recommence if necessary is (that) we are more than capable.”
The Daily Star said Hegseth’s remarks echoed the US Central Comand (CENTCOM), which posted on X that American forces “remain present and vigilant across the region.”
Channel 4 framed the same warning as Hegseth telling viewers the US was ready to resume combat operations in the Gulf if needed after Iran accused Trump of “betraying diplomacy for the third time.”
In a separate report, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty said CENTCOM disabled a Gambia-flagged ship attempting to sail to an Iranian port by firing a Hellfire missile into the ship’s engine room after more than 20 warnings.
Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty also quoted Rezaei’s X post that Trump’s stance showed “that he is not inclined toward negotiation and is pursuing other objectives,” while noting Trump’s Situation Room meeting ended without a clear decision being announced.
Assets, Mines, Hormuz
The Daily Star said Trump’s post included lifting the US parallel blockade of Iranian ports and coordinating on removing and destroying Iran’s enriched uranium, adding that “no money will be exchanged, until further notice.”
It also reported that Iran’s Fars news agency cited sources saying Tehran was demanding “the immediate release of $12 billion in frozen Iranian assets” before moving to the next phase of negotiations.
In the same account, the paper said Fars sources claimed “no such clause appears in the text of the agreement” on toll-free reopening of the Strait of Hormuz and that Trump’s comment on destroying Iran’s nuclear material “is fundamentally baseless.”
France 24 said Iranian state media reported a draft deal that included an agreement to release $12 bn in frozen assets, while also noting the White House dismissed an earlier similar item as a “fabrication.”
Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty added that Trump said the “Hormuz Strait must be immediately open, no tolls, for unrestricted shipping traffic, in both directions,” as Oman warned mariners to exercise caution after a suspected naval mine was spotted west of a coastal shipping route in the Strait of Hormuz.
