WASHINGTON, MAY 24: US President Donald Trump has assured Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that he will hold firm on his demand for the dismantling of Iran’s nuclear program as a condition in any final agreement with Tehran, a senior Israeli official told AFP.
“President Trump made clear that he will remain steadfast in the negotiations regarding his longstanding demand for the dismantlement of Iran’s nuclear program and the removal of all enriched uranium from Iranian territory, and that he will not sign a final agreement absent these conditions,” the official said, referring to a conversation between the two leaders on Saturday night.
“The United States is updating Israel on the negotiations surrounding the memorandum of understanding for reopening the Strait of Hormuz and initiating talks toward a final agreement on the outstanding disputed issues,” the official added.
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Separately, an Israeli source said Netanyahu told Trump Israel would remain free to act against threats in Lebanon during the phone call about an emerging agreement between Washington and Tehran.
Trump said Washington and Iran had “largely negotiated” a memorandum of understanding on a peace deal that would reopen the Strait of Hormuz, a vital shipping passage that has been effectively closed since the US and Israel launched their war on Iran in February.
“In last night’s conversation with President Trump, the Prime Minister emphasized that Israel will maintain freedom of action against threats in all arenas, including Lebanon, and President Trump reiterated and supported this principle,” the Israeli political source told Reuters on Sunday, asking not to be named.
Expectations rose that a breakthrough might be imminent in the three-month-old war after Trump said an emerging agreement being brokered by Pakistan would reopen the Strait of Hormuz.
Iran’s Fars news agency said the draft stipulates that the US and its allies will not attack Iran or its allies, and in return Iran pledges not to launch preemptive attacks on them.
Prominent Israeli politician Benny Gantz said it would be a strategic mistake for Israel to accept a ceasefire in Lebanon, which its troops have entered to fight the Iranian-backed Hezbollah militia, as part of a deal with Iran.
According to the Israeli source, the US is updating Israel on the negotiations with Iran.
“President Trump made it clear that he will stand firm in negotiations on his consistent demand for the dismantling of the Iranian nuclear program and the removal of all enriched uranium from its territory,” the source said, “and that he will not sign a final agreement without these conditions being met.”
Trump wrote on Truth Social that a call with Netanyahu had gone “very well.”
