Shafaq News- Washington/ Tehran
US President Donald Trump backed dismantling Iran’s nuclear program under any future agreement, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu claimed on Sunday, amid reports of major progress in negotiations between Washington and Tehran.
Netanyahu said he spoke with Trump overnight regarding a proposed memorandum of understanding (MoU) to reopen the Strait of Hormuz and advance negotiations toward a final agreement on Iran’s nuclear program. Both sides agreed that any final agreement must “eliminate the nuclear danger,” including dismantling Iran’s uranium enrichment facilities and removing enriched nuclear material from Iranian territory.
Trump also reaffirmed Israel’s right to defend itself “on every front, including Lebanon,” Netanyahu added, effectively preserving Israeli freedom of military action inside Lebanese territory under any future agreement.
Separately, Trump told ABC News that the blockade on Iran would remain in place until a final agreement is reached, approved, and signed. “I have instructed my representatives not to rush into a deal,” he said, stressing that Iran “cannot develop or obtain nuclear weapons.”
He also described the current negotiations as completely different from the “bad” nuclear agreement reached under former President Barack Obama, which Trump withdrew from in 2018.
The remarks came a day after Trump announced preliminary understandings with Iran that included reopening the Strait of Hormuz, through which roughly one-fifth of global oil and gas shipments pass. However, Axios, citing a US official, reported that reaching a final agreement later in the day appeared unlikely because several files and final formulations still required resolution between the two sides.
The outlet also claimed that Iranian leader Mojtaba Khamenei had approved the broad framework of the agreement “in principle,” though Tehran’s internal approval process could still take several days. The proposed framework, if finalized, could halt fighting across several regional fronts, including Lebanon, where Israeli attacks have killed 3,151 people and wounded 9,571 others since March 2, according to Lebanon’s Health Ministry.