U.S. President Donald Trump said Tuesday (local time) that any agreement with Iran on ending hostilities will either be "a great and meaningful deal, or no deal at all."
In a post on the social media platform Truth Social, Trump wrote that "a deal with Iran will be the exact opposite of the JCPOA disaster negotiated by the failed Obama administration." The JCPOA refers to the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, the nuclear agreement reached between Western powers and Iran in 2015 during the Obama administration. Trump argued that the JCPOA had become "a direct and open path for Iran to nuclear weapons," and stressed, "I don't make deals like that!"
The remarks come amid growing signs that the signing of a memorandum of understanding (MOU) between Trump and Iran on ending hostilities is imminent. Reports indicate that the draft MOU centers on the United States and Iran extending a 60-day ceasefire while keeping the Strait of Hormuz open and continuing negotiations on Iran's nuclear program during that period. However, the two sides have offered differing positions on how close they have come to an agreement on the nuclear program, including Iran's stockpile of enriched uranium, which has been the biggest sticking point.
Trump also took aim at critics of his Iran negotiations from both the Democratic Party and parts of the Republican Party, saying they "know nothing about the potential deal with Iran, yet are talking about issues that have not even been negotiated yet."
A day earlier, Trump had posted a message that appeared to suggest a more measured pace, saying he had "instructed not to rush to reach an agreement" regarding the final showdown with Iran.
