US President Donald Trump will sign a deal with Iran only if Washington's basic conditions are met and if US "red lines" are respected, a White House official said after a lengthy meeting in the Situation Room.
Although the meeting was held with the aim of reaching a final decision on the proposed agreement to extend the ceasefire, no results were announced, as the two sides continue to disagree on critical issues, mainly over Tehran's nuclear program.
Donald Trump called a lengthy meeting in the White House Situation Room on Friday to review the framework of an agreement that has been reached between the United States and Iran to extend the ceasefire.
The meeting lasted about two hours and ended without any official announcements. According to a White House official, the US president remains open to a deal only if it serves US interests and fully meets the "red lines" he has set.
"President Trump will only sign a deal if it's good for America and if his red lines are met. Iran cannot have nuclear weapons," the official said.
Conditions imposed by Washington
According to what Trump himself has stated, the framework agreement provides for the full reopening of the Strait of Hormuz for unimpeded navigation in both directions, the destruction of any mines in the sea route, Iran's commitment that it will never develop a nuclear weapon, and the handover of its enriched uranium reserves to the United States.
In a social media post, the US president also said he is ready to lift the US blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, allowing ships blocked in the area to return to their destinations.
At the same time, he stressed that Iran must allow the US to remove and destroy its enriched uranium.
"There will be no exchange of money until further notice. Other issues, of much lesser importance, have been agreed upon," he said.
Agreement to extend the ceasefire
Washington and Tehran reached a framework agreement in the form of a memorandum of understanding on Thursday, US officials said, pending approval by Donald Trump and the Iranian leadership.
The plan calls for extending the ceasefire for 60 days and opening negotiations on the future of Iran's nuclear program.
Despite signs of progress, the New York Times reported that Trump left the meeting without making the "final decision" he had announced.
On the Iranian side, reactions ranged from cautious to negative.
Fars News Agency, citing informed sources, described the US president's recent statements as "a mixture of truth and lies", claiming that the memorandum of understanding does not include a provision for the destruction of nuclear material.
At the same time, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmail Baghaei declared on state television that Tehran remains committed to ending the war and that there are no negotiations on the nuclear program.
"We are focused on ending the war and there are no negotiations on the nuclear issue," he declared.
Therefore, the head of the Iranian negotiating team, Mohammad Bayer Qalibaf, claimed that his country does not trust either guarantees or promises.