Iran says it is not close to any agreement with Washington, while U.S. President Donald Trump insists any deal with Tehran must be “big and meaningful” or there will be no deal at all. The latest developments also show growing Israeli concern that a possible accord would ignore Iran’s missile program and regional proxy network.
Iranian foreign ministry spokesman Ismail Baghaei said no one can claim the sides are nearing a deal, arguing that repeated shifts in U.S. positions are undermining talks. He also said Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi’s trip to New York for a Security Council meeting was canceled because of a visa problem.
Trump, posting on Truth Social, dismissed critics of a possible U.S.-Iran agreement and said any new deal would avoid repeating what he called the “disaster” of the 2015 nuclear accord. He said the previous deal, signed under Barack Obama, gave Iran a direct path toward nuclear weapons, while his administration would not accept a similar arrangement.
Regional And Domestic Pressure
Israeli officials, according to the report cited by Iran International and The Jerusalem Post, warned that an emerging U.S.-Iran deal would be a “bad deal” because it would not address the key threats they see beyond the nuclear file. Those concerns focus on Iran’s missile program and the wider regional role of allied militant groups.
Iran is pressing for the immediate release of $12 billion in frozen funds in Qatar as a precondition for advancing negotiations, according to an informed source cited by Iran International. CNN was also reported to have said a draft agreement would tie sanctions relief to Tehran handing over its uranium stockpile.
The report came amid other sensitive developments inside Iran, including the execution of Abbas Akbari Fayzabadi, an arrested protester from the national uprising, according to the judiciary-linked Mizan news agency. NetBlocks also said the ongoing internet blackout in Iran has reached 87 days, warning that it has erased transparency around executions and worsened the situation for detainees.