“I’d rather sign, but I’m in no hurry.” US President Donald Trump has commented on the latest developments in peace negotiations with Iran. According to American media, the tycoon also sent a “tightened” proposal to Tehran, with some changes compared to the current text.
Trump’s words
“I would like to reach an agreement – Trump explained to Fox News – because we can immediately reopen the Strait of Hormuz upon signature. The only guarantee I have to have is that there will be no nuclear weapons. They have accepted this”. The president explained some dynamics linked to the “negotiation” with Iran; “It was very interesting. Originally they said, ‘We will not develop a nuclear weapon.’ I said, ‘Good, but what happens if you buy a nuclear weapon?’
“Their navy is completely destroyed, 100%,” he added. “Their air force is completely destroyed, 100%. Their army, however, we have somehow left alone, because we believe it is to a certain extent moderate. We have eliminated several leadership figures and we have actually left their army alone. People will be surprised to hear this, because mistakes have been made in wars when everything and everyone has been destroyed, and then you end up with a country that for 40 years is no longer able to rebuild – he explained – Look what happened with Iraq”.
The “tightened” proposal
According to three US officials cited by the New York Times, Trump has tightened the terms of a potential framework agreement to end the war in Iran and has sent the proposed changes to the country for its evaluation. According to what one of the officials revealed to the US newspaper, Trump would have been irritated by Tehran’s slowness in responding to the proposals: “The changes made in the new, more rigid version were probably aimed at speeding up the process, putting pressure on Iran to accept the framework already sent to Iranian Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei for approval. Reaching the Supreme Leader has proven difficult, so any changes to the document, known as the memorandum of understanding, could lead to further delays.”
What are these changes? According to Axios, Trump would like to make more detailed the provisions relating to the management of the stocks of highly enriched uranium still in Tehran’s possession and how to reopen the Strait of Hormuz to maritime traffic. The draft deal currently includes an Iranian commitment not to pursue nuclear weapons development and a 60-day period to negotiate Tehran’s nuclear obligations and the fate of its stockpiled fissile material. The American president, according to the US portal, intends to include more precise indications on the times and methods with which the United States would acquire such material. However, the White House continues to say it is confident about the conclusion of the agreement: “There will be an agreement”, declared a senior official, specifying that the finalization could take from a few days to over a week.