Iran says deal with US closer than ever as Trump lashes out
Iran's foreign minister insisted on June 12 that a deal with the United States to end the war in the Middle East had never been closer, after U.S. President Donald Trump furiously accused Tehran of negotiating in bad faith.
The angry reaction came after Iranian media published a breakdown of what was purportedly on the table, stressing that Iran would insist on its right to enrich uranium and to control shipping through the Strait of Hormuz.
That clashed, however, with the characterisation offered by a senior White House official, who told AFP Iran had agreed to dismantle its nuclear program, destroy its enriched uranium stockpile and reopen the strait — and that Tehran would not see any of its frozen funds returned until it had honored these commitments.
On Thursday, Trump had suggested a deal was imminent after weeks of halting negotiations to end the war sparked by U.S.-Israeli strikes on February 28, but on Friday he angrily dismissed the Iranian account of the draft as lies.
