Trump Tamps Downs Expectations For Early Iran Deal
US President Donald Trump appeared to temper expectations of a quick peace deal with Iran a day after he and Secretary of State Marco Rubio sparked renewed hopes for an end to the nearly 3-month-old war.
“If I make a deal with Iran, it will be a good and proper one,” Trump wrote on Truth Social while blasting predecessor Barack Obama for the landmark 2015 nuclear agreement that Trump pulled the US out of during his first term.
"Our deal is the exact opposite, but nobody has seen it, or knows what it is. It isn’t even fully negotiated yet. So don’t listen to the losers, who are critical about something they know nothing about,” he added.
In a separate post, Trump on May 24 wrote that "negotiations are proceeding in an orderly and constructive manner, and I have informed my representatives not to rush into a deal in that time is on our side."
A day earlier, Trump wrote that “an Agreement has been largely negotiated, subject to finalization between the United States of America, the Islamic Republic of Iran, and the various other Countries.”
"Final aspects and details of the Deal are currently being discussed, and will be announced shortly,” he asserted.
In the past, Trump has suggested that a deal was imminent, only to later reject Iranian counterproposals and threaten new attacks.
Rubio, meanwhile, earlier had said "good news" on the negotiations could come sometime on May 24, telling reporters during a trip to India there’s had been "significant progress” in the talks. However, in later comments to The New York Times, he also played down hopes for any early deal, saying that any nuclear deal would naturally take longer to achieve.
Bahrain Sentences 9 To Life In Prison For Alleged Collaboration With IRGC
A court in Bahrain sentenced nine people to life in prison and two others to three years in jail for collaborating with Iran's hard-line Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) to carry out what it labeled "hostile and terrorist acts" against Bahrain.
The Bahraini state news agency on May 24 said the defendants were involved in gathering information on sensitive sites and facilitating related financial transfers.
The Gulf country's Interior Ministry on May 9 said it had arrested 41 people it alleged were linked to the IRGC.
Tehran has launched attacks on targets in Bahrain and other Gulf Arab states hosting US military bases in retaliation for US-Israeli air strikes against Iran launched at the end of February.
Hezbollah Chief Expresses Hope US-Iran Deal Includes Lebanon
Hezbollah chief Naim Qassem expressed hope for an agreement between Iran and the United States and that Lebanon would be part of the deal.
Iran-backed Hezbollah is both a militant group and political party that controls much of southern Lebanon. It is considered a terrorist organization by the United States, although the European Union has only blacklisted its armed wing.
"God willing, this agreement will be finalized and there are signs of its completion, and accordingly that we too will be among those included in this agreement -- an agreement of a full cessation of hostilities," he said in a TV address.
Iranian state media reported that "a memorandum of understanding would first be announced, stressing an end to fighting on all fronts, including in Lebanon."
However, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said US President Donald Trump had reaffirmed his support for Israel's right to defend itself against threats, including from Hezbollah.
With reporting by AFP
Trump Defends Current Iran Negotiations
In a new post on Truth Social, US President Donald Trump has compared favorably his administration’s approach to Iran with the 2015 Iran nuclear deal signed by Barack Obama, which he called “one of the worst deals ever made” and a "direct path to Iran developing a Nuclear Weapon."
Trump said that current negotiations with Iran are proceeding in an “orderly and constructive manner.” He said that he had instructed US representatives not to rush, noting that “time is on our side.”
In 2015, under the Obama administration, Iran signed the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) with the United States, United Kingdom, France, China, Russia, and Germany. The agreement was designed to limit Iran’s nuclear program in exchange for sanctions relief, with the goal of preventing Iran from developing a nuclear weapon.
In 2018, the first Trump administration withdrew from the deal; President Trump has repeatedly criticized that agreement as weak and dangerous.
In his Truth Social post, Trump highlighted improving professionalism in US-Iran relations, while maintaining his position that Iran will not be allowed to develop or acquire a nuclear weapon.
Some voices in the Republican Party have criticized Trump's potential deal as too lenient, comparing it unfavorably with the JCPOA. Former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo wrote: "Pay the IRGC to build a WMD program and terrorize the world."
Rubio: Good News On Iran Could Come Later Today
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has said "good news" regarding the situation in Iran could come later today.
"There is the possibility that, over the next few hours, the world will get some good news, at least in regard to the straits," Rubio told reporters in New Delhi, referring to the Strait of Hormuz, which Iran has effectively blocked since the conflict began in late February.
Rubio, who is on his first trip to India, said that "significant progress" had been made in US-Iran negotiations, although not "final progress."
The secretary of state reiterated that the Strait of Hormuz was an international waterway and Iran doesn't own it.
"What [the Iranians] are doing now is to destroy commercial vessels using an international waterway," Rubio said. "If we allow that to become normal, we would be normalizing an unacceptable status quo and setting a dangerous precedent that could be replicated here in this region and in multiple places around the world."
The preference of US President Donald Trump, Rubio said, is "to find a diplomatic way" to solve these issues, which would require "full Iranian acceptance and compliance."
He added that a potential deal would also begin a process that "could ultimately lead us to where the president wants us to be and that is a world that no longer has to be in fear or worry about an Iranian nuclear weapon."
Rubio's comments came after Trump said an agreement to end the war was "largely negotiated."
Revolutionary Guards Commander Warns US About 'Repeated Aggression'
After reports that a peace deal between Iran and the US had been "largely negotiated, the commander of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) warned the United States about "repeated aggression."
The message, which did not mention the commander, Ahmad Vahidi, by name, was reported by the Tasnim news agency, which is close to the IRGC.
"The country's powerful armed forces are at the highest level of readiness and active deterrence in all dimensions of missile, air, sea, land, space, and cyber," the commander was reported as saying. "It is obvious that any renewed attack by the enemy will result in a devastating and hellish response in regional and extra-regional dimensions."
The IRGC commander's message came on the anniversary of the liberation of Khorramshahr, when Iranian forces recaptured the city from Iraqi occupation on May 24, 1982 -- an event widely regarded as a major turning point in the Iran–Iraq War.
Tasnim also reported that Iran and the US were approaching a "preliminary understanding" and said that the proposed deal "provides a 30-day period for implementing measures related to the naval blockade and the Strait of Hormuz, and, at the same time, a 60-day period will be defined for negotiations on the nuclear issue."
The details of the proposed deal have not been confirmed by the White House.
US-Iran Deal Includes Terms On Uranium, Hormuz, US Troops: Media Reports
US media late on May 23 began reporting what they said were terms of a memorandum of understanding between the US and Iran, although no official statements have been made from either side on the elements of the potential deal.
RFE/RL could not immediately confirm the terms reported by The New York Times and Axios.
US President Donald Trump hours earlier said an agreement with Iran to end the war “has been largely negotiated” and that “final aspects and details” are being discussed, although Tehran quickly hit back to dispute some of the president's claims.
The New York Times, citing two unidentified US officials, reported that the deal included an "apparent agreement" by Iran to give up its supply of enriched uranium -- a key US demand. How that would work would be decided in further negotiations, the Times reported.
Meanwhile, Axios, citing a US official, reported that the deal involved a 60-day cease-fire extension, during which the Strait of Hormuz would be reopened, Iran would be able to freely sell oil, and negotiations would be held on curbing Iran's nuclear program.
Axios said US troops deployed to the region would remain for the 60-day period and withdraw only if a final deal is reached. Negotiations to lift sanctions against Iran and unfreeze Iranian assets would take place during the 60-day period, Axios also reported.
The US also would lift its blockade on Iranian ports, the report added.
Pakistani PM Says To Continue Peace Efforts, Hopes To Host Next Round Of Talks
Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on May 24 said Islamabad will continue its mediation efforts to bring an end to the Middle East war following the visit to Iran of his main mediator, Field Marshal Asim Munir, the Pakistani army chief.
Sharif confirmed that he participated in a phone call with US President Donald Trump and several other leaders and top officials from Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Pakistan, Turkey, Egypt, Jordan, and Bahrain.
He said he congratulated Trump on "his extraordinary efforts to pursue peace and for holding a very useful and productive telephone call" on May 23.
"The discussions provided a useful opportunity to exchange views on the current regional situation and how to move the ongoing peace efforts forward to bring lasting peace in the region," Sharif wrote on X.
"Pakistan will continue its peace efforts with utmost sincerity and we hope to host the next round of talks very soon," he added.
Pakistan hosted top US and Iranian in Islamabad on April 11 for indirect talks. No major breakthroughs were reported following the sessions.
Following the call with Sharif and other leaders, Trump posted on Truth Social that said an agreement with Iran to end the war “has been largely negotiated” and that “final aspects and details” are currently being discussed, raising hopes again of a possible end to the conflict.
However, comments out of Tehran disputed some aspects of Trump's remarks and appeared to play down the possibility of an imminent agreement.
Israeli Sergeant Becomes 22nd Soldier Killed During Lebanon Campaign Against Hezbollah
Israel on May 23 said a soldier was killed a day earlier near the border with Lebanon, raising to 22 the number of its troops killed in the war with Iran-backed Hezbollah.
A militant group and political party that controls much of southern Lebanon, Hezbollah is considered a terrorist organization by the US, while the EU has blacklisted its armed wing but not its political branch.
The Israeli military named the slain soldier as Staff Sergeant Noam Hamburger, 23, who "fell during operational activity in northern Israel."
The Israeli military told AFP he was killed near the border with Lebanon.
Trump Says Iran Peace Deal 'Largely Negotiated,' Including Reopening Of Hormuz
US President Donald Trump on May 23 said an agreement with Iran to end the war “has been largely negotiated” and that “final aspects and details” are currently being discussed, raising hopes again of a possible end to the conflict.
“An Agreement has been largely negotiated, subject to finalization between the United States of America, the Islamic Republic of Iran, and the various other Countries,” he posted on Truth Social.
“Final aspects and details of the Deal are currently being discussed and will be announced shortly. In addition to many other elements of the Agreement, the Strait of Hormuz will be opened,” he added.
Trump said the posting came after he participated in a phone call with the leaders and other officials of Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Pakistan, Turkey, Egypt, Jordan, and Bahrain.
Trump also said in the posting that he had separately spoken with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and that the call had gone “very well.”
Trump has often suggested that a deal was imminent to end the conflict, which began with US and Israeli air strikes on February 28, only to later reject an Iranian proposal and again threaten to launch massive attacks.
Tehran did not immediately comment on Trump's remarks, but Iranian officials earlier on May 23 had suggested progress in the negotiations, conducted through Pakistani mediators.
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