U.S. President Donald Trump has sent a revised ceasefire proposal with stricter conditions back to Iran, stalling a potential deal between Washington and Tehran that appeared close to completion in recent days.
According to The New York Times, which cited officials familiar with the talks, the U.S. president hardened several terms from the previous draft before sending the new blueprint to Tehran.
While The New York Times could not verify the exact modifications made by the Republican president, Axios reports that Trump seeks to strengthen Washington’s leverage on several core issues, specifically the status of the Islamic Republic’s nuclear materials.
Trump has repeatedly stated that Tehran will not be permitted to acquire nuclear weapons, and he demands the destruction of Iran’s stockpiles of highly enriched uranium.
The nuclear dispute remains a primary point of friction in the negotiations to end the war, which began on February 28 following a joint Israeli-American military strike against the Islamic Republic.
Alongside nuclear concessions, the president’s other priorities include demanding that Iran reopen and clear naval mines from the Strait of Hormuz, a critical maritime passage that Tehran has effectively blocked since the outbreak of hostilities.
Trump’s newly introduced conditions risk further prolonging the peace negotiations.
U.S. sources told Agence France-Presse (AFP) that the U.S. president declined to sign the tentative proposal sitting on his desk on Friday following a meeting in the White House Situation Room.
Later that evening, a White House official stated that Trump will only sign an agreement with Iran if the specific “red lines” he has established are fully met.