Trump, about-face on raids: is an agreement with Iran really closer? Khamenei unknown

The talks with Tehran, explains the American president, were brought “to the highest level of the Iranian leadership”, while the discussions and the final points of the agreement were approved “both in principle and in detail” by all the parties involved, so as to bring them significantly closer to an agreement. But Trump’s confidence, however, seems to be wavering both on the timing of the possible agreement and, above all, on the green light from the Iranian counterpart.

Pressured by the press, the tycoon first he refuses to indicate a specific date – “I don’t want to set a deadline, things will proceed quickly and after the signature the Strait of Hormuz will reopen” – then he remains vague on the (necessary) assent of the Iranian Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei. “I understand that he approved, yes”, he replies without certainty.

So i very few details on the document: “They were hit very hard and now they want to make the agreement more than I want it. For the USA and for the Middle East it is an excellent agreement. And it is also excellent for Iran. It is a very detailed memorandum of understanding, also agreed with other countries that have a strong influence on Iran. Tehran will not have nuclear weapons in any form and will not obtain them: it is the most important paragraph”, Trump’s words at the White House, which Among the countries that agree with the agreement he also mentions Israel, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab EmiratesQatar, Türkiye, Pakistan, Bahrain, Kuwait, Jordan and Egypt.

But what does Tehran say? At least for the moment, no confirmation has arrived from Iran. On the contrary. At the tycoon’s words, the regime media hastened to explain that the Islamic Republic had not approved any text of the initial memorandum with the United States. So the frost from the spokesperson of the Foreign Minister Esmaeil Baqaei: “So far Iran – he said – did not reach a final conclusion on the agreement“.

To complicate the picture here comes the clarification from Israelone of the countries mentioned by the tycoon. Tel Avivexplains Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu after speaking with Trump on the phone, “not part of the deal”. The two spoke about the “memorandum of understanding that is emerging with Iran regarding the start of negotiations,” Netanyahu said, explaining that Trump promised that any agreement between Iran and the United States will include commitments to remove Tehran’s enriched nuclear material and welcomed the US president’s commitments on limiting Iran’s nuclear and missile programs.”

Furthermore, according to Axios, even if the negotiations between the United States and Iran are in fact close to an agreement in principle on the main points of the dossier, there would still be one decisive step left, namely the green light from the Iranian Supreme Leader.

According to the same sources close to the negotiations cited by the US newspaper, in the last few hours the talks would however have made it possible to reduce the distances on three central issues: the mechanism for unlocking Iranian funds frozen abroad, the modalities of reopening the Strait of Hormuz during a 60-day ceasefire and the framework for negotiations on Iran’s nuclear program during the truce period.