Donald Trump Sends Back Deal to Iran for Revision, Demands Tougher Terms on Uranium and Hormuz

US President Donald Trump has sent the proposed peace framework back to Iran after calling for tougher conditions on key sticking points, prolonging negotiations that have now stretched across four months since the US and Israel launched joint strikes on February 28.

Trump chaired a two-hour meeting with his national security team in the White House Situation Room on Friday, but left without signing off on the draft that his envoys had negotiated with Iranian counterparts. US sources told AFP that an Iranian proposal had been waiting for Trump's approval, but he departed the meeting without a decision, choosing instead to push for amendments before any agreement is formalised.

As per The New York Times, Trump's proposed changes centre on two areas: the handling of Iran's stockpile of highly enriched uranium and the precise terms around the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz. The current draft memorandum of understanding includes a commitment from Iran not to pursue a nuclear weapon, but contains no specific concessions beyond that. A 60-day window for further negotiations on nuclear commitments and sanctions relief is built into the framework, with the disposal of enriched uranium the first item on that agenda.

"It's more specifics about how the US gets the material and the timing," a senior administration official said. A second official indicated that Trump also wanted amended language around the Hormuz reopening.

Officials also said that there will be a deal. “The imminence of it, we'll see. We're willing to wait so the president gets what he asks for. It could be a week. It could be less. It could be more," one senior official said.

Trump told Fox News the US was "close to a very good deal" and that the Strait of Hormuz would be opened immediately upon signing. He added that Iran had agreed there would be no nuclear weapons, calling that the one guarantee he had secured. He left open the military option, however: "Otherwise we'll just go back and finish it off militarily."

The two countries have reached a preliminary memorandum to extend the ceasefire by 60 days while substantive negotiations continue, though Iran has pushed back on US characterisations of the state of talks, insisting no final understanding has been reached. The revised framework has been sent to Tehran, with Iranian officials expected to respond within roughly three days.