diplomacySunday, May 31, 20266 sources

Trump Claims Iran Agreed to No Nuclear Weapons Amid Diplomatic Tensions

U.S. President Donald Trump asserted that Iran has agreed to not develop or purchase nuclear weapons, a claim met with skepticism from Tehran. The U.S. also proposed re-opening the Strait of Hormuz, while Iran demanded the release of $12 billion in frozen assets before negotiations. Both sides remain far apart, with military clashes continuing in Lebanon and the Gulf.

Donald Trump claimed during an interview with his daughter-in-law Lara Trump that Iran had agreed to not develop or purchase nuclear weapons. The claim was reported by multiple outlets including AFP, TASS, The Hindu, The Straits Times, and WION. Tehran, however, has cast doubt on these assertions, with Iranian media calling Trump's comments 'baseless' and noting that Iran requires the release of $12 billion in frozen assets before engaging in substantive talks on its nuclear program. Iran's Revolutionary Guards shot down a U.S. military drone near Iranian territorial waters, an incident not confirmed by the U.S. Meanwhile, Israel expanded its ground offensive in Lebanon, advancing past the Litani River. A truce between Israel and Hezbollah, which began on April 17, has never been observed. Iran's ISNA news agency cited a lawmaker stating that a plan to implement Iran's management and sovereignty over the Strait of Hormuz will soon be approved by parliament, contradicting Trump's claim that no tolls would be charged on ships passing through the strait.

Where Sources Diverge

Some sources (dawn, afp, tass, the-hindu, straits-times, wion) report Trump's claim that Iran agreed to no nuclear weapons, while others (dawn) note that Iran has previously cast doubt on these assertions.

dawn

Trump claimed Iran agreed to no nuclear weapons, but Iran has cast doubt on these assertions.

afp

Trump says Iran has agreed to no nuclear weapons.

tass

Iran promises not to develop or buy nuclear weapons — Trump.

wion

Trump claims Iran agrees not to develop or purchase nuclear weapons.

Timelines

Sources

IndependentWIONMay 31, 01:05 PM
‘What happens if you buy a nuclear weapon?’: Trump claims Iran agrees not to develop or purchase nuclear weapons - WION

‘What happens if you buy a nuclear weapon?’: Trump claims Iran agrees not to develop or purchase nuclear weapons  WION

IndependentThe HinduMay 31, 11:34 AM
Trump says Iran has agreed to no nuclear weapons

Any tweaks to the proposal could prolong even further an agreement to formally end the West Asia war and open the Strait of Hormuz maritime route after weeks of efforts to secure a deal

IndependentStraits TimesMay 31, 10:54 AM
Trump says Iran has agreed to no nuclear weapons - The Straits Times

Trump says Iran has agreed to no nuclear weapons  The Straits Times

IndependentDawnMay 31, 10:23 AM
Trump claims Iran agreed to no nuclear weapons amid reports of 'tougher' terms sent to Tehran

United States President Donald Trump said he had secured guarantees from Iran that it would not develop nuclear weapons, as reports emerged he had sent a tougher peace proposal back to Tehran. Any tweaks to the proposal could prolong even further an agreement to formally end the Middle East war and open the Strait of Hormuz maritime route after weeks of efforts to secure a deal despite fractious rhetoric and the occasional flare-up of armed conflict. The New York Times and Axios media outlets reported on Saturday that Trump had sent back a new framework to be considered by Iran with “tougher” terms, though it was not immediately clear what that entailed. Trump has said his priorities for any deal include stopping Iran from any nuclear weapon development and re-opening the blockaded Strait of Hormuz. “The one guarantee that I have to have is that there will be no nuclear weapons. They’ve agreed to that, and it was very interesting,” he told his daughter-in-law Lara Trump in an interview broadcast on her Fox News programme on Saturday night. But Tehran has previously cast doubt on Trump’s assertions and the parties appeared far apart on their key priorities. Iran has said it requires the release of $12 billion in frozen assets before it moved to substantive talks on issues such as its nuclear programme and called earlier Trump comments that its enriched uranium — a precursor for nuclear weapons — would be destroyed “baseless”, according to Iranian media. Tehran has also insisted that Lebanon must be included in any end to the war despite ongoing fighting, with Beirut accusing Israel of a “scorched-earth policy” as its forces advanced and carried out further airstrikes. After Trump and US officials earlier said they were on the brink of striking a deal, he struck a less urgent tone and hinted at renewed military action in the Fox interview. “I’m in no hurry,” he said. “Slowly but surely we’re getting, I think, what we want and if we don’t get what we want, we’re going to end in a different way.” Flare ups That echoed comments from Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth who said at the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore on Saturday that Washington was “more than capable” of restarting the war if necessary. Though daily strikes throughout Iran and the Gulf have stopped since Tehran and Washington struck a temporary ceasefire in April followed by historic talks hosted by Pakistan, bursts of armed conflict have continued. Iran’s Revolutionary Guards (IRGC) had shot down a US military drone “about to enter Iranian territorial waters to conduct hostile operations”, Iran’s state broadcaster IRIB reported, an incident that has not been confirmed by the US. Earlier in the week, the worst fighting since the fragile ceasefire broke out when US forces carried out strikes on the Iranian port of Bandar Abbas, countered by retaliatory fire from Iran. Nevertheless, diplomacy has continued with Trump under pressure to reach an agreement that would lift US and Iranian competing blockades around the Strait of Hormuz that have choked international oil supplies and threatened the global economy with rising prices. After Trump said on social media that Tehran would charge “no tolls” on ships passing through the strait once the blockades were lifted under any deal, Iranian news agency Fars cited sources saying “no such clause appears in the text of the agreement”. Iran’s ISNA news agency on Saturday cited lawmaker Alireza Salimi as saying a plan “to implement Iran’s management and sovereignty over the Strait of Hormuz will soon be approved by parliament”. Expanded Lebanon operations Israel’s military issued evacuation warnings for more villages in south Lebanon on Saturday, a day after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israeli forces had pushed more than 30 kilometres into the country. Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam accused Israel of pursuing a “scorched-earth policy and collective punishment”, and called for “a swift and real ceasefire”. Israel’s military confirmed it was expanding its ground offensive in a statement released early on Sunday, saying “a significant number” of its forces had advanced past the Litani river and were carrying out expanded operations against Hezbollah in the Beaufort Ridge and Wadi al-Saluki area. A truce between Israel and Hezbollah began on April 17 but has never been observed, with both sides accusing each other of violating it. Israel and Lebanon began direct talks in April, with a fourth round expected in the coming week.

WireAFPMay 31, 09:33 AM
Trump says Iran has agreed to no nuclear weapons - France 24

Trump says Iran has agreed to no nuclear weapons  France 24

StateTASSMay 31, 07:06 AM
Iran promises not to develop or buy nuclear weapons — Trump

The US president clarified that Iran originally said it would not develop nuclear weapons but did not mention purchases