US-Iran deal in limbo as Trump walks out of key White House meeting

A meeting chaired by US President Donald Trump at the White House for a decision on a possible deal with Iran concluded without any outcome earlier this week. The president left the two-hour meeting without making a decision, the Associated Press reported, citing a senior Trump administration official. Ahead of the meeting, which was held on Friday, Trump had insisted in a social media post that a deal extending the cease-fire would involve the reopening of the conflict-hit Strait of Hormuz by Iran. Read Full Story He had also asserted that Tehran's commitment to never develop a nuclear bomb and allowing the United States to remove its enriched uranium remained among Washington's key conditions for an agreement. Iran has repeatedly opposed those terms. The unnamed official cited by AP said Trump would only sign a deal that "satisfies his redlines" and curbs Tehran's nuclear ambitions. The high-level talks at the White House with his aides were confirmed by Trump a day after several news outlets, including AP, reported US and Iranian negotiators had agreed on a tentative agreement. The deal would extend the fragile ceasefire between the warring sides by 60 days as fresh talks are held on Iran's disputed nuclear programme. Before the Friday meeting at the White House Situation Room, Trump, in a post on Truth Social, had said that he was looking to make a "final determination" regarding Iran. Trump wrote that "Iran must agree that they will never have a Nuclear Weapon or Bomb." The US President further said the Strait of Hormuz must be reopened for international navigation and all sea mines destroyed. US KEEPS STRIKE OPTION OPEN On Saturday, Trump's Secretary of War, Pete Hegseth, said that the US is ready to restart attacks on Iran if a deal cannot be reached. "Our ability to recommence if necessary...we are more than capable," the Pentagon chief said in Singapore. "Our stockpiles are more than suited for that, both there and around the globe, so we're in a very good place," he stated, while speaking at the Shangri-La Dialogue, Asia's premier forum for defence leaders, militaries and diplomats. The Pentagon chief said President Trump was "patient" and wants to make a "great deal" that ensures Iran does not get a nuclear weapon. Even as negotiators from Iran and the US continued to work to bridge major differences blocking an agreement, distrust seemed to remain firm between the two countries. IRAN'S SCEPTICISM ABOUT DIPLOMACY On Friday, Iran's main negotiator said that Tehran has "no trust in guarantees or words," only actions, highlighting the lingering sceptiscim after Israel and the US have twice attacked Iran over the past year while it was engaged in nuclear dialogue. "No step will be taken before the other side acts," Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf wrote on X. "We do not gain concessions through talks, but through missiles," he added. A similar tone was adopted by Mohsen Rezaei, a former chief commander of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC). He, too, expressed scepticism about Trump's intentions behind pursuing diplomacy with Iran. "As expected, the US president is betraying diplomacy for the third time. By maintaining the naval blockade and insisting on excessive demands in the negotiations, he has once again shown that he is not (genuinely) interested in talks and is pursuing other objectives," Rezaei was quoted as saying by Iranian daily Tehran Times. Ends (With inputs from agencies)