Iran and U.S. agree deal to end war taking shape, but Iran says obstacles remain

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

His post appeared largely addressed at rebutting criticism that he could agree to a pact with Iran that includes less restriction of the Islamic Republic’s nuclear program than did the 2015 nuclear deal negotiated by the Obama administration.

Mr. Trump unilaterally pulled the U.S. out of that international agreement, known as the JCPOA, in 2018, during his first administration, prompting Iran to increase its uranium enrichment to near weapons-grade.

“It will be the exact opposite of the JCPOA disaster negotiated by the failed Obama Administration, which was a direct and open path to a Nuclear Weapon for Iran,” insisted Mr. Trump on Monday.

Iran has said the agreement currently under negotiation does not include any immediate concessions on its nuclear program, only a commitment to discuss the matter during a 60-day period that would begin under the deal, which it says is focused on ending the war and implementing a staged reopening of the Strait of Hormuz.

Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei said Monday that while there remain “some issues that we have not yet finalized,” talks with the U.S. continue.

He cautioned, however, that diplomacy aimed at resolving the conflict was up against “problems and obstacles” caused by “frequent changes in positions and contradictions” by the Trump administration.

“The frequent changes in positions and contradictions, which do not really need me to explain and which you can simply observe by looking at tweets issued by U.S. officials, show what situation we are dealing with and under what conditions we must pursue a diplomatic process with such a counterpart,” said Baqaei. “This naturally creates its own problems and obstacles.”

Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei, who’s also the spokesman for Iran’s negotiating team, stressed Monday that an agreement taking shape with the U.S. to end the war and reopen the Strait of Hormuz would not involve any immediate concessions on Iran’s nuclear program.

He said Iran was nearing agreement with the U.S. on a memorandum of understanding that would include a 60-day period during which the strait would reopen as each side ends its respective 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 is focused on ending the war,” he said. “If this happens, then within a 60-day period, discussions on nuclear-related issues will take place.”

Iran said Monday that Tehran and Washington had reached understandings on many issues in exchanges over a deal for ending the war, but warned an agreement was not imminent.

“It is correct to say that we have reached a conclusion on a large portion of the issues under discussion,” foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei said during a weekly news briefing.

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

Baqaei added that Tehran has “not set any timeline or specific time for finalizing” a deal to end the war.

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

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

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

China has said it would work with Pakistan to “make positive contributions to the early restoration of 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 materialize “today,” adding that Israel had the right to defend itself against attack.

“We thought we might have some news last night, maybe today; I wouldn’t read too much into it,” Rubio said in New Delhi, referring to the potential agreement.

“We have what I think is a pretty solid thing on the table in terms of their ability to open up the straits, get the straits open,” he told reporters as he departed the Indian capital, where he has been on an official visit.

“It has a lot of support in the Gulf. … Every country that we’ve walked through it (with) understands it’s not just very reasonable, but it’s the right thing for the world to get done.”

Rubio also voiced confidence that Iran would “enter into a very real, significant, time-limited negotiation on the nuclear matter.”

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

The U.S. will give diplomacy ⁠every chance to succeed before exploring the “alternatives,” Rubio added.

CBS/AFP

Israel’s military on Monday warned residents of 10 villages, most of them in southern Lebanon, to evacuate their homes ahead of expected strikes against alleged Hezbollah targets.

“In light of Hezbollah’s violation of the ceasefire agreement, the Israel Defense Forces are compelled to operate against it with force,” the military’s Arabic-language spokesman, Colonel Avichay Adraee, said in a social media post, listing the names of the villages.

“For your safety, you must evacuate your homes immediately and move at least 1,000 meters (six-tenths-of-a-mile) away from these towns and villages to open areas.”

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

“Our deal is the exact opposite, but nobody has seen it, or knows what it is,” Mr. Trump said on Truth Social. “It isn’t even fully negotiated yet. So don’t listen to the losers, who are critical about something they know nothing about.”

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

A finalized agreement would also include Iran reopening the Strait of Hormuz in exchange for the U.S. lifting its blockades of the waterway, and the U.S. making accommodations on sanctions relief if Iran makes accommodations on the question of nuclear enrichment.

There is broad commitment on the principles, the official said, and the Trump administration feels positive about where things stand even as efforts to finalize the details continue, the official said. The official indicated that Iran appears more willing to compromise than before the military campaign.

The administration wants to see a substantial commitment to forgo enrichment, the official said, arguing that the difference between a 20 or 30 year commitment is meaningless and the most important question is the enforcement mechanism. The official said they believe the deal will go further than the 2015 nuclear deal under former President Barack Obama, which allowed enrichment up to a certain level.

The deal would not include any sort of regime change, the official said, noting that the administration will deal with the existing Iranian government.

The official said there are lots of players passing paper around and there is a lot of inaccurate information, noting that various parties are using selective leaks to push their preferred narratives or to try to derail things.

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A senior Trump administration official told CBS News that the U.S. and Iran are working toward finalizing an agreement and that the Iranians have, in principle, agreed to a deal that would include the disposal of the regime’s highly enriched uranium stockpile.

President Trump said on TruthSocial that negotiations between the U.S. and Iran continue, and that he has instructed the U.S. team “not to rush into a deal” and “that time is on our side.”

After a call with Middle Eastern leaders, Mr. Trump said a peace deal with Iran had been “largely negotiated” but that final details were still being discussed. Both he and Secretary of State Marco Rubio indicated that further details would be announced shortly.

Sources told CBS News on Saturday that the latest proposal included a process to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, the unfreezing of some Iranian assets held in foreign banks, and a continuation of negotiations. Iran’s semi-official Fars News Agency said Saturday that even “in the event of a possible agreement, the Strait of Hormuz will still be under Iranian management.”