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U.S. President Donald Trump repudiated Iran's published account of the proposed Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on Friday, writing on Truth Social that the terms Iran had leaked to the media had "nothing to do with the terms that were agreed to, in writing."
He called Tehran "very dishonorable people to deal with", while separately condemning a drone attack on Indian ships near the Strait of Hormuz as "totally unacceptable," even as India summoned the U.S. deputy chief of mission for the second time in two days over American strikes that killed three Indian sailors.
Trump posted on Truth Social: "The terms that Iran leaked out to the Fake News have nothing to do with the terms that were agreed to, in writing. What they said, including their weak and pathetic statement on having a deal, bears no relation to the truth. Very dishonorable people to deal with. With them, there is no such thing as dealing in good faith. Amazing! Also, their totally rebuffed Drone attack last night against Indian Ships leaving the Hormuz Strait is totally unacceptable. They better get their act together, and FAST!"
Iranian state media had reported earlier Friday that the draft deal would give Iran $24 billion in frozen assets, maintain Iranian control of the Strait of Hormuz, and explicitly exclude Iran's missile program and support for resistance groups from any negotiations, terms Trump flatly denied.
India summoned U.S. Deputy Chief of Mission Jason Meeks to the Ministry of External Affairs on Friday for the second consecutive day, lodging what it called "a strong protest regarding the continuing attacks by U.S. naval forces on commercial vessels carrying Indian mariners."
"Such actions are unacceptable and undermine the safety, security and stability of international maritime commerce in a sensitive region at a difficult time," the Indian foreign ministry said.
It requested Meeks to convey India's concerns to Washington and ensure U.S. forces take "all necessary measures to prevent the loss of civilian life."
Three Indian nationals were killed this week after U.S. forces struck the Palau-flagged tanker MT Settebello on Wednesday, firing precision munitions into its engine room after the crew failed to comply with directions.
Earlier in the week, the MT Marivex was disabled on June 8, with 24 Indian sailors evacuated by Omani authorities. A Guinea-Bissau-flagged tanker, MT Jalveer, was hit on Thursday, carrying 20 Indian sailors who were rescued.
U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) said it had disabled nine non-compliant vessels, redirected 135 ships that complied, and allowed 42 vessels supporting humanitarian aid to pass since the blockade began on April 13.
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