Trump holds firm on non-negotiables as agreement with Iran remains out of reach

According to a White House official, US President Donald Trump will only agree to a peace deal with Iran if it fulfills all of his requirements, as stated to AFP on Friday amidst uncertainty surrounding the status of negotiations to end the war.

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A White House representative had indicated that Trump was nearing a decision on a potential deal, despite Tehran's insistence that no final agreement had been reached to end the Middle East conflict, with an Iranian state media report also disputing several key aspects of Trump's characterization of the deal.

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US sources had informed AFP that the deal was pending Trump's approval, following weeks of intermittent negotiations over a conflict that has engulfed the Middle East and impacted the global economy, with Trump attending a two-hour meeting in the White House Situation Room on Friday without reaching a decision.

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A White House official told AFP that "President Trump will only make a deal that is good for America and satisfies his red lines," and added that "Iran can never possess a nuclear weapon."

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Trump had announced the meeting in a social media post, reiterating his long-standing demands that Iran agree never to develop nuclear weapons and reopen the vital Strait of Hormuz shipping lane, with Iranian foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei responding that the Islamic republic "said goodbye to the language of 'must' 47 years ago."

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Baqaei also stated that exchanges of messages were ongoing, but "no final agreement has been reached yet," and in a phone call with the Emir of Qatar, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said Iran was ready to achieve a "dignified framework" to end the war, according to state news agency IRNA.

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Trump's post stated that Tehran would remove mines from the Strait of Hormuz and end its blockade of the waterway with "no tolls," while the US would lift its parallel blockade of Iranian ports, and the two countries would also coordinate on removing and destroying Iran's enriched uranium, with the added condition that "no money will be exchanged, until further notice."

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However, Iran's Fars news agency cited sources as saying Tehran was demanding "the immediate release of $12 billion in frozen Iranian assets" before proceeding to the next phase of negotiations, and disputed Trump's comments on the toll-free reopening of Hormuz and the destruction of Iran's nuclear material.

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Baqaei also told state TV that there were currently "no negotiations" taking place on Iran's nuclear program, as Iran's top diplomat suggested the US was hindering a deal with its approach to the talks.

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A resident of the city of Tonekabon, Ali, aged 49, expressed skepticism about the negotiations, stating that "both sides are speaking in a way that keeps their supporters satisfied, it's not clear who is telling the truth."

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Hopes of an agreement had risen on Thursday after US officials voiced optimism about the diplomatic progress, with energy markets fluctuating throughout the week as investors assessed the chances of an agreement that could potentially resume normal shipping through the crucial Strait of Hormuz.

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Washington and Tehran have accused each other of violating the truce in and around the strait as recently as this week, with US strikes on the southern Iranian port of Bandar Abbas countered by retaliatory Iranian fire, and Iranian state TV reporting that 24 ships had transited the strait in the past 24 hours.

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The TV report also warned that "ships from hostile countries face a severe response" from Iran's military, as tensions remain high in the region.

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On the war's Lebanon front, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Friday that his country's forces had pushed deeper inside Lebanon, while Iran-backed Lebanese group Hezbollah claimed responsibility for a series of drone attacks on military targets in northern Israel.

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Hezbollah also stated that its forces were attacking Israeli troops trying to advance in the area of the medieval Beaufort fortress, near the city of Nabatieh, as Israeli and Lebanese military delegations held security talks in Washington, described as "productive" by Elbridge Colby, the Pentagon's second-in-command.

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Israel continued its heavy bombardment of southern Lebanon, where the Lebanese health ministry reported that a rescuer was among the 11 killed, and a ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah, supposed to have taken effect on April 17, has never been observed.

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Both sides accuse each other of violating the ceasefire and justify their attacks by the other camp's alleged breaches, with Lebanon drawn into the war in early March when Hezbollah launched rockets at Israel over the killing of Iran's supreme leader in US-Israeli attacks, prompting Israeli strikes and a ground invasion.