‘Great deal or no deal,’ says Trump, giving Iran ‘five to seven days’ to compromise

Trump defends emerging deal with Iran from accusations that it mirrors Obama’s 2015 deal.

By World Israel News Staff

President Donald Trump has given Iran less than a week to finalize an emerging nuclear and maritime deal, as US officials said negotiators were closing in on a framework that would address Tehran’s uranium stockpile and reopen the Strait of Hormuz.

A US official told Fox News on Sunday that the framework was “95% there,” but that the sides were still negotiating language on Iran’s nuclear material and the key shipping route.

The official said Trump’s “instinct is to give them 5, 6, 7 days” to complete the agreement.

“We are not going to roll over. We are not there yet on a deal. We are not going to sign a deal today or tomorrow,” the official said.

The negotiations center on what the administration has described as a “No Dust, No Dollars” approach, meaning Iran would receive no relief unless it gives up highly enriched uranium.

The official said Iran had agreed “in principle to the framework,” while talks continued over the precise wording.

“We have a deal on the nuclear stockpile and the Strait of Hormuz but are negotiating language,” the official said.

The same official said Washington sees a chance to reach an agreement that would ease pressure on energy markets while blocking Iran from building a nuclear weapon.

“We have the opportunity to make a deal that will lower costs for Americans while ensuring the Iranians do not get a nuclear weapon,” the official said.

“We are not going to do a bad deal, that’s for sure. We have optionality and can resume military strikes if a deal is not reached,” the official added.

Axios reported Sunday that US officials did not expect an agreement that day and believed approval by Iran’s leadership could take several more days.

A senior US official told the outlet that the “slow and opaque” nature of Iran’s decision-making system remained a major obstacle, even though Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei had endorsed the broad template of the deal.

The proposed arrangement would reopen the Strait of Hormuz in exchange for lifting the US naval blockade, Axios reported. During that period, the sides would continue talks on Iran’s nuclear program, including its enriched uranium stockpile and possible limits on enrichment.

The Trump administration wants any final deal to cover all of Iran’s enriched uranium, not only the portion enriched to near-weapons-grade levels, according to the Axios report.

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said Sunday that Tehran was prepared to reassure other countries that it is not pursuing nuclear arms, while also signaling that Iran would not accept terms it considers humiliating.

“We are ready to assure the world that we are not seeking nuclear weapons. We are not seeking instability in the region,” Pezeshkian said.

Trump on Monday pushed back against criticism from Republicans and conservatives who warned that the emerging deal could resemble the 2015 nuclear agreement negotiated under former President Barack Obama.

“The deal with Iran will either be a great and meaningful one, or there will be no deal. It will be the exact opposite of the JCPOA disaster negotiated by the failed Obama Administration, which was a direct and open path to a Nuclear Weapon for Iran. No, I don’t do deals like that!” Trump wrote on Truth Social.

The president had said Saturday that a memorandum of understanding with Iran was “largely negotiated,” while also instructing his team not to rush the process. Axios reported that Trump said the US naval blockade would remain in place until an agreement is reached, certified and signed.

The developing deal has drawn scrutiny from Republican hawks and Israeli officials, who are pressing for stronger guarantees that Iran’s nuclear capabilities will be dismantled.

Axios reported that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his team have been involved in the discussions, while Israeli officials remain skeptical that Iran’s leadership will accept the final terms.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio said over the weekend that preventing Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon remains Washington’s central goal.

Rubio described the talks as making “significant progress,” but cautioned that they had not yet reached “final progress.”