Donald Trump on Monday said any agreement with Iran must be a “great and meaningful” deal or there would be no deal at all, as negotiations to formally end the ongoing conflict continued. | Photo Credit: KYLIE COOPER

US President Donald Trump on Monday asserted that any forthcoming accord with Tehran would strictly manifest as a “great and meaningful” deal, or the administration would walk away entirely, as diplomatic talks aimed at officially concluding the conflict continue to stretch out.

Articulating his stance on his social media platform Truth Social, Trump made it clear that the prospective pact remains unfinished, cautioning that it would only materialise if it satisfies his specific criteria.

Reiterating his unyielding position on the diplomatic engagement, Trump posted, “The deal with Iran will either be a great and meaningful one, or there will be no deal.”

Trump attacks critics, rejects Obama-era pact

The US President also capitalised on the social media update to launch a scathing attack against detractors within the American political landscape, targeting both Democrats and figures within his own Republican ranks for allegedly skewing the ground reality of the diplomatic discussions.

Lambasting those criticising speculated concessions as individuals who “know nothing” about the active deliberations, Trump accused them of prematurely undermining what he framed as an evolving diplomatic exercise.

Taking a direct swipe at his domestic political opponents, Trump stated, “I laugh at all of the Dumocrats, RINOS, and Fools who know nothing about the potential deal I am making with Iran, things that haven’t even been negotiated yet,” while branding his detractors as “losers” who foster “division and loss”.

Trump maintained that his strategy would turn out to be “the exact opposite” of the 2015 nuclear pact, formally called the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), hammered out during the tenure of former US President Barack Obama.

Reaffirming his historical critique that the JCPOA was fundamentally broken, Trump argued that the previous framework provided Tehran with a “direct and open path” towards a nuclear weapon. The US leader had pulled Washington out of the landmark accord in 2018, describing the arrangement as “rotten” due to its failure to enforce permanent constraints on Iran’s atomic ambitions.

Drawing a sharp contrast with past diplomacy, Trump concluded, “It will be the exact opposite of the JCPOA disaster negotiated by the failed Obama Administration, which was a direct and open path to a Nuclear Weapon for Iran. No, I don’t do deals like that!”

Echoing this uncompromising stance, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio had earlier expressed a similar sentiment, saying the US would either secure a strong deal with Iran or confront Tehran “another way”.

Iran says progress made, but hurdles remain

Amid these tough assertions from Washington, Iran’s foreign ministry spokesperson stated on Monday that conclusions have been reached on many topics discussed in a potential 14-point memorandum of understanding, though he cautioned that this does not mean a deal to end the Middle East war is imminent.

According to the spokesperson, Esmaeil Baghaei, the proposed framework primarily focuses on bringing an end to the war and lifting the US naval blockade, in exchange for Tehran taking steps to ensure safe transit in the Strait of Hormuz.

However, translating this framework into a final agreement remains a complex task, as the two sides have remained at odds on difficult issues, including Iran’s nuclear ambitions, Israel’s war in Lebanon with the Iranian-backed Hezbollah militia, and Tehran’s demands for the lifting of sanctions alongside the release of frozen assets.

Despite these persistent sticking points, both sides say they have made progress on a memorandum of understanding that would halt the war and give negotiators 60 days to reach a final deal.

Strait of Hormuz, sanctions among key sticking points

Delving into the specific components of these ongoing talks, senior Iranian diplomat Hossein Nooshabadi told ISNA news agency on Monday that the possible framework deal included the end of the war on all fronts including Lebanon, the release of blocked Iranian assets, the lifting of the US naval blockade and opening of the Strait of Hormuz, the withdrawal of US forces from the vicinity of Iran and freedom to sell Iranian oil.

Crucially, highlighting a major point of divergence from Washington’s expectations, Nooshabadi emphasised that Iran’s draft for an initial agreement contained no commitments on Iran’s nuclear programme.

Furthermore, Baghaei noted that the potential initial deal had no specific details about the management of Hormuz. Addressing this aspect of maritime security, Nooshabadi stated that the management of the strait was an Iranian-Omani issue under discussion with Oman.

Published on May 25, 2026