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U.S. President Donald Trump ended a two-hour Situation Room meeting on Iran without announcing whether he had approved a proposed deal to extend the cease-fire, as Washington and Tehran still appeared divided over key issues.
Trump said Friday morning that he would meet with advisers in a secure White House room to make a “final determination” on a proposal that would extend an early-April truce for another 60 days and give negotiators time to work toward a permanent end to the war.
A White House official said the meeting lasted about two hours but did not say whether Trump had made a decision.
“President Trump will only make a deal that is good for America and satisfies his redlines. Iran can never possess a nuclear weapon,” the official told Agence France-Presse (AFP).
Trump said Iran must agree never to have a nuclear weapon or bomb and that the Strait of Hormuz must be reopened immediately.
“Iran must agree that they will never have a Nuclear Weapon or Bomb. The Hormuz Strait must be immediately open, no tolls, for unrestricted shipping traffic, in both directions,” Trump said.
He added that nuclear material would be “unearthed” by the U.S.
In a Truth Social post, Trump also said mines would be removed from the strait and ships trapped there could begin returning home.
Trump said no money would be exchanged “until further notice,” which Reuters described as a possible reference to Iran’s demands for toll payments in the strait, war damage reparations or the release of frozen Iranian assets.
A senior Iranian source told Reuters that an agreement was close but had not yet been approved.
The source, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the potential deal does not include any nuclear-related issues.
Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei said on state TV that Washington and Tehran were still exchanging messages, but that no final understanding had been reached.
Baghaei also said management of the Strait of Hormuz must be decided by Iran and Oman.
Iran’s semi-official Fars news agency, citing sources, said Trump’s comments were an “attempt to portray a fabricated victory.”
Fars said the strait would reopen under Tehran’s conditions after the U.S. lifts its blockade on Iranian ships.
U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said the U.S. blockade would be removed slowly if it happens.
Fars also said there was agreement to release $12 billion of Iran’s frozen assets.
Reuters reported that Trump is under pressure to reopen the Strait of Hormuz and reduce U.S. gasoline prices ahead of November congressional elections, while also facing potential backlash from Iran hawks in his own party over any concessions to Tehran.
The war launched by the U.S. and Israel on Feb. 28 has killed thousands of people, mainly in Iran and Lebanon, and caused global economic pain by pushing up energy prices because of Iran’s effective closure of the Strait of Hormuz.
Kazakhstan has signaled it is willing to take Tehran’s highly enriched uranium stockpile in the event of a deal, U.N. nuclear watchdog chief Rafael Grossi told the Financial Times.
Iran also wants sanctions lifted, U.S. forces withdrawn from the region and any peace deal to end Israel’s offensive in Lebanon.
Israel has displaced hundreds of thousands of people and pushed deep into Lebanon while targeting Hezbollah.
Lebanon says more than 3,200 people have been killed by Israeli strikes, while Israel says 23 soldiers and four civilians have been killed.
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