WASHINGTON — U.S. President Donald Trump said Friday he would soon decide on a proposed deal to extend the ceasefire with Iran, though the two countries still appeared to differ on significant issues that have been central to the conflict.
Trump said Friday morning he would meet in a secure White House room to make a "final determination" on the proposal, which would extend an early-April truce for another 60 days, giving negotiators time to forge a permanent end to the war.
A White House official said the meeting in the Situation Room lasted about two hours, but did not address whether Trump made a decision.
"President Trump will only make a deal that is good for America and satisfies his red lines. Iran can never possess a nuclear weapon," the official said.
A senior Iranian source told Reuters an agreement was close but had not yet been approved.
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From left, Interior Secretary Doug Burgum, Secretary of State Marco Rubio and President Donald Trump attend a Cabinet meeting Wednesday in the Cabinet Room at the White House in Washington.
However, Trump also said Iran would have to end its chokehold on the Strait of Hormuz and dismantle its capacity to make a nuclear weapon — two conditions that Tehran hasn't agreed to.
"Iran must agree that they will never have a Nuclear Weapon or Bomb. The Hormuz Strait must be immediately open, no tolls, for unrestricted shipping traffic, in both directions," Trump wrote on social media, adding that nuclear material would be "unearthed" by the U.S.
Iran's semiofficial Fars news agency, citing sources, said Trump's comments were an "attempt to portray a fabricated victory."
Vessels are anchored Friday in the Strait of Hormuz as seen from Musandam, Oman.
The senior Iranian source, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the potential deal does not include any nuclear-related issues, while Iran's Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei said on state TV that the management of the strait must be decided by Iran and Oman.
Fars said the strait would be reopened under Tehran's conditions after the U.S. lifts its blockade on Iranian ships.
Fars also said there was agreement to release $12 billion of Iran's frozen assets.
Trump said no money would be exchanged "until further notice" — a possible reference to Iran's demands for toll payments in the strait, war damage reparations or a release of frozen Iranian assets.
Reporters raise their hands Wednesday as, from left, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, President Donald Trump, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick take part in a Cabinet meeting at the White House in Washington.
Midterms
Trump is under pressure to reopen the Strait of Hormuz and get U.S. gasoline prices down ahead of the November congressional elections, as voters show increasing frustration over rising prices. At the same time, he faces a potential backlash from Iran hawks in his own party over any concessions to Tehran.
The war launched by the U.S. and Israel on Feb. 28 has killed thousands of people, mainly in Iran and Lebanon, and caused global economic pain by pushing up energy prices due to Iran's effective closure of the Strait of Hormuz.
In his post on Truth Social, Trump said mines would be removed from the strait and ships trapped there may start to go home: "Say HELLO to your wives, husbands, parents, and families from me, your favorite President!"
Kazakhstan has signaled it is willing to take Tehran's uranium stockpile of highly enriched uranium in the event of a deal, U.N. nuclear watchdog chief Rafael Grossi told the Financial Times.
Kazakhstan already hosts an internationally controlled bank of uranium to ensure fuel supplies for power stations in International Atomic Energy Agency member states.
Smoke billows from southern Lebanon on Friday following strikes seen from Marjayoun, southern Lebanon.
Iran also wants sanctions lifted, U.S. forces withdrawn from the region, and for any peace deal also to end U.S. ally Israel's offensive in Lebanon.
Israel displaced hundreds of thousands of people with a push deep into Lebanon in pursuit of Iran's main ally, the Hezbollah group.
Israeli strikes pummeled Lebanon's south and east plus its capital Beirut, killing more than 3,200 people, according to Lebanon's health ministry.
Israel says 23 of its soldiers and four civilians were killed over the same period.
