What is the story about?
Israel is not part of the emerging agreement between the United States and Iran, but Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu made sure to publicly lock
in what he says Trump has promised will be in the final deal. The Israeli Prime Minister's Office released a statement Thursday outlining commitments it says President Trump made during a phone call with Netanyahu.
What Netanyahu Says Trump Promised
The PMO statement says Trump committed that any final agreement reached at the conclusion of negotiations with Iran would include the removal of enriched nuclear material, the dismantling of Iran's enrichment infrastructure, limits on Iranian missile production and a full stop to Iran's backing of militant groups in the region.The statement was careful to note that Israel is not a signatory to the memorandum of understanding currently being discussed. Netanyahu's office described the conversation as being about an "emerging memorandum of understanding with Iran regarding entry into negotiations," a framing that seeks to characterize the current document as a starting point rather than a finished deal, according to the Times of Israel.
Trump's Own Words on the Deal
Speaking from the Oval Office earlier Thursday, Trump was direct about what he believes has been agreed. When asked whether Iran had committed to not pursuing nuclear weapons, he left little room for ambiguity."They will not have a nuclear weapon. They've agreed to that. They will not only not have, they will not purchase, develop in any way, shape, or form, a nuclear weapon," Trump said.
When pressed on whether Iran's Supreme Leader had signed off on the agreement, Trump said his understanding was that the answer was yes.
Trump also pushed back on skeptics who pointed out that he had previously signaled a deal was close without one materializing. He argued this time was different because of the military pressure Iran had absorbed. "They have taken a pounding like very few people could take, and they want to make the deal a lot more than I do," he said. He added that the US had been striking Iran hard over the previous three days and claimed the war had been won militarily.
Iran Is Still Hedging
Tehran's position is notably more measured. Iran's Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei said Qatar and Pakistan were actively involved as mediators, but suggested recent US actions had complicated the diplomatic process, according to Al Jazeera.Baghaei acknowledged that Iran had agreed to much of the draft text, but claimed the US had repeatedly changed its position during negotiations. He said Tehran remained firm on its red lines without elaborating on what those were.
In a separate set of remarks carried by Iran's IRNA news agency, Baghaei said Iran had not yet made a final decision on the deal. He added that once relevant authorities worked through the remaining details, the Iranian government would make a formal announcement, Al Jazeera reported.
