A fragile ceasefire between the United States and Iran is facing fresh uncertainty after Donald Trump, United States president, demanded tougher conditions before approving a proposed agreement aimed at extending the truce and restarting talks over Tehran’s nuclear programme.
- +Trump demands tougher Iran terms as ceasefire deal hangs in the balance
Trump met senior advisers at the White House on Friday to make what officials described as a final decision on a framework that would extend the ceasefire for 60 days.
Trump met senior advisers at the White House on Friday to make what officials described as a final decision on a framework that would extend the ceasefire for 60 days. However, the meeting ended without any public indication of the next step, leaving the future of the agreement unclear.
According to the BBC, the proposed framework, known as a memorandum of understanding, was agreed in principle by negotiators from both countries on Thursday, pending approval from Trump and Iran’s leadership.
Before the White House meeting, Trump outlined a series of conditions on his Truth Social platform, insisting that Iran must permanently abandon any ambition to develop nuclear weapons, reopen the Strait of Hormuz to unrestricted shipping, and remove any mines placed in the strategic waterway.
He also demanded that Iran allow the United States to take possession of and destroy its stockpile of enriched uranium.
“No money will be exchanged, until further notice,” Trump wrote. “Other items, of far less importance, have been agreed to.”
A White House official told the BBC’s US partner, CBS News, that Trump would only support a deal that met his core demands. “President Trump will only make a deal that is good for America and satisfies his red lines. Iran can never possess a nuclear weapon,” the official said.
The latest demands have triggered a sharp response from Tehran, where officials accused Washington of undermining diplomacy.
Mohsen Rezaei, an adviser to Iran’s Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei, said Trump was once again moving away from negotiations. “As predicted, the President of the United States is betraying diplomacy for the third time,” Rezaei wrote on social media.
“By continuing the naval blockade and making excessive demands in negotiations, he has once again proven that he is not inclined toward negotiation and is pursuing other objectives.”
Iranian officials have also pushed back against claims that Tehran is negotiating its nuclear programme. Foreign ministry spokesman Esmail Baghaei told state television that Iran’s immediate focus remains ending the conflict.
“We are focused on ending the war, and there are no negotiations on the nuclear issue,” Baghaei said.
Iran has consistently maintained that its nuclear programme is designed solely for peaceful purposes and has repeatedly denied seeking nuclear weapons.
The disagreement highlights the deep mistrust that continues to define relations between the two countries despite weeks of diplomatic engagement.
JD Vance, US Vice President said negotiators had made significant progress but acknowledged that key differences remain unresolved.
“We’re not there yet, but we’re very close and we’re going to keep on working at it,” Vance said, adding that negotiators were still debating sensitive issues, including uranium enrichment.
Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf, Iran’s chief negotiator, signalled similar caution, stressing that Tehran would judge Washington by its actions rather than its promises.
“No action will be taken before the other side acts,” he said. “The winner of any agreement is the one who is better prepared for war the day after.”
The tensions come against the backdrop of a conflict that erupted after US and Israeli strikes on Iran on February 28. Tehran retaliated by launching attacks against Israel and US allied states in the Gulf and effectively shutting down the Strait of Hormuz, one of the world’s most important energy routes.
The closure sent global oil prices sharply higher, as roughly one fifth of the world’s energy supplies normally pass through the narrow waterway.
Adding to concerns, both sides have accused each other of breaching the ceasefire in recent days. Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said it had targeted a US air base in Kuwait that it claimed was linked to earlier attacks on the Iranian port city of Bandar Abbas. US Central Command condemned the strike, describing it as an “egregious ceasefire violation”.
Meanwhile, Pete Hegseth, United States defence secretary, warned that Washington retained the military capability to strike Iran again if necessary.
“Our stockpiles are more than suited for that, both there and around the globe,” Hegseth said at a security summit in Singapore.
For now, the proposed agreement remains in limbo. While both Washington and Tehran publicly signal an interest in avoiding a wider conflict, the growing list of demands, mutual accusations and continued military threats suggest that a lasting settlement remains far from certain.
