Iran and the US agreed on a deal to end the war, but Iran says obstacles remain

Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei said the deal being negotiated with the US “focuses on ending the war. It includes provisions related to the Strait of Hormuz and the termination or cessation of what is defined as US maritime interference against Iranian ships.”

“Certainly, in the first steps, the actions of the US described as a sea blockade should be stopped, and at the same time the Islamic Republic of Iran will take the necessary measures to ensure safe passage through the Strait of Hormuz. How this will be done is a matter for us as a coastal state.”

President Trump said in a Memorial Day morning post on Truth Social that his administration will reach a “big and meaningful deal” with Iran to end the war, “or there will be no deal.”

His post appeared to be aimed more at criticism that he would agree to a deal with Iran that included fewer restrictions on the Islamic Republic’s nuclear program than the 2015 nuclear deal negotiated with the Obama administration.

Mr. Trump isunilaterally excluded the US of that international agreement, known as JCPOA, in 2018, during his first administration, which made Iran to increasing its uranium enrichment to near weapons range.

“It will be the exact opposite of the disastrous JCPOA negotiated by the failed Obama Administration, which was a direct and open path to Iran’s Nuclear Weapons,” Mr. Trump on Monday.

Iran has said the deal under discussion does not include any immediate concessions on its nuclear program, only a commitment to discuss the issue within a 60-day period that will begin under the deal, which it says is focused on ending the war and implementing the planned reopening of the Strait of Hormuz.

The spokesman of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Iran, Esmaeil Baqaei, said on Monday that although there are still some issues that we have not yet concluded, negotiations with the US are continuing.

He warned, however, that diplomacy aimed at resolving the conflict faces “problems and obstacles” caused by the “constant changes in positions and conflicts” of the Trump administration.

“The constant change of positions and conflict, which I don’t really need to explain and which you can see just by looking at the tweets issued by American officials, indicates what situation we are facing and under what conditions we should continue the communication program with such a partner,” said Baqaei. “This naturally creates its own problems and obstacles.”

The spokesman of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Iran, Esmaeil Baqaei, who is also the spokesman of the negotiating team of Iran, emphasized on Monday that the agreement that will be made with the US to end the war and reopen the Strait of Hormuz will not include any immediate agreement on the nuclear program of Iran.

He said Iran is nearing an agreement with the US on a mutual agreement that will include a 60-day period in which the border will be reopened as each side ends its shipping restrictions, and “naturally, one of the topics that will be discussed during this 60-day period will be nuclear-related issues.”

“This 14-point memorandum focuses on ending the war,” he said. “If this happens, within a period of 60 days, negotiations on nuclear weapons will take place.”

Iran said on Monday that Tehran and Washington had reached consensus on many issues in exchange for a ceasefire, but warned that no deal was in place.

“It is true to say that we have reached a conclusion on many of the issues discussed,” foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei said at a weekly press conference.

“But to say that this means that the signing of the agreement is close – no one can make such a claim,” he said, accusing Washington of changing its positions.

Baqaei added that Tehran “has not set any timeline or exact time to finalize” the ceasefire agreement.

Pakistan’s key mediator between the United States and Iran, army chief Asim Munir, is in Beijing with his country’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif for talks with Chinese leaders, Pakistani television said Monday.

Chinese President Xi Jinping met with Sharif on Monday, Chinese state media said, according to the Reuters News service.

Munir was in Tehran on Friday and Saturday along with Pakistan’s Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi as part of mediation efforts to formally end the war in Iran.

China said it would work with Pakistan to “contribute to restoring peace and stability in the Middle East.”

CBS/AFP

Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Monday that a deal to end the war with Iran could be reached “today,” adding that Israel has a right to defend itself against attack.

“We thought we could have news last night, maybe today; I wouldn’t read too much,” Rubio said in New Delhi, talking about a possible deal.

“We have what I think is a strong thing on the table in terms of their ability to open up issues, open up opportunities,” he told reporters as he left the Indian capital, where he had been on an official visit.

“It has a lot of support in the Gulf. … All the countries we have passed through (once) understand that it is not only the most logical thing, but it is the right thing for the world to achieve.”

Rubio also expressed confidence that Iran will “engage in real, meaningful, time-bound negotiations on the nuclear issue.”

But, he said the US would either have a good deal with Iran or deal with the country “another way,” according to Reuters news agency.

The U.S. will give diplomacy every chance to succeed before testing “something different,” Rubio added.

CBS/AFP

The Israeli army on Monday warned residents of 10 villages, most of them in southern Lebanon, to leave their homes ahead of expected strikes against Hezbollah.

“Due to Hezbollah’s violation of the ceasefire agreement, the Israel Defense Forces are forced to fight them with force,” said the Arabic-speaking military spokesman, Colonel Avichay Adraee, in a social media post, listing the names of these areas.

“To be safe, you must leave your homes immediately and walk at least 1,000 meters (six-tenths of a mile) from these towns and villages to open areas.”

President Trump said if he makes a deal with Iran, it will be “good and fair,” criticizing the Obama administration’s record with Iran and accusing the former president of giving Iran “a lot of CASH, and a clear and open path to a Nuclear Weapon.”

“Our deal is very different, but no one has seen it, or knows what it is,” said Mr. Trump on Truth Social. “It has not been fully discussed. So don’t listen to the losers, who criticize something they know nothing about.”

The Iranians have agreed in principle to a deal that will include the disposal of highly enriched uranium, a senior administration official said on Sunday, but efforts to finalize the deal are still ongoing.

The finalized agreement will also include that Iran reopens the Strait of Hormuz so that the US can remove its blockade of the waterway, and the US makes accommodation on sanctions relief if Iran makes accommodation on the issue of nuclear enrichment.

There is broad commitment to the goals, the official said, and the Trump administration is feeling optimistic about where things stand as efforts to finalize the details continue, the official said. The official pointed out that Iran appears to be more willing to compromise than before the military campaign.

The administration wants to see a greater commitment to stop self-enrichment, said the official, arguing that the difference between a 20- or 30-year commitment is meaningless and the most important question is how to enforce it. The official said they believed the deal would surpass the 2015 nuclear deal under former President Barack Obama, which allowed enrichment up to a certain level.

The deal will not include any kind of regime change, the official said, noting that the administration will deal with Iran’s current government.

The official said that there are a lot of players passing by and there is a lot of inaccurate information, noting that different groups use special leaks to push issues they like or try to disrupt things.

Read more here.

A senior Trump administration official told CBS News that the US and Iran are working to finalize a deal and that the Iranians have, in fact, agreed to a deal that would include divesting the nation’s most enriched uranium stockpile.

President Trump said on TruthSocial that negotiations between the US and Iran are continuing, and that he has instructed the US delegation not to “rush into a deal” and that “time is on our side.”

After a call with the leaders of the Middle East, Mr. Trump said a peace deal with Iran is “under negotiation” but the final details are still being discussed. Both he and Secretary of State Marco Rubio indicated that more details would be announced soon.

Sources told CBS News on Saturday that the latest proposal includes the process of reopening the Strait of Hormuz, the unfreezing of certain Iranian assets held in foreign banks, and the continuation of negotiations. Iran’s semi-official Fars News Agency said on Saturday that “even if there is a possible agreement, the Strait of Hormuz will still be under the control of Iran.”