Trump Announces Iran Deal To Be Signed 'Tomorrow', Says Hormuz Will Be 'Open To All'

Washington: US President Donald Trump announced on Saturday that a new agreement with Iran is scheduled to be signed on Sunday, claiming that the deal will prevent Tehran from acquiring nuclear weapons and will reopen the Strait of Hormuz to global shipping immediately after. In a post on TruthSocial, Trump announced the development, while taking aim at the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action negotiated by his predecessor, former US President Barack Obama. He stressed that the JCPOA would have put Iran on a path to a bomb, while his own arrangement would do the opposite.

In his post, Trump stated that Tehran has shifted its position and no longer seeks a nuclear arsenal. He wrote that Iran would not obtain a weapon “either through purchase, development, or any other form of procurement”. The statement presented the prospective deal as a complete break from the 2015 agreement, which the US withdrew from during Trump’s first term. 

Donald Trump further claimed that ties with Iran under his approach are far stronger than under any previous US administration. He wrote, “Our relationship with Iran is a much different and better one than previous Administrations have had.” His remarks set the stage for a possible landmark diplomatic breakthrough, though no details of the agreement, its signatories, or the venue for the signing were provided in the post.

Criticism Of Obama-Era JCPOA

In his post on TruthSocial, Trump once again criticised the nuclear deal struck by Barack Obama, saying it would have ultimately allowed Iran to reach weapon capability. Comparing Obama-era moves with his own initiative, insisting that the initiative is designed to ensure the opposite outcome. The comparison revived a long-running dispute over the merits of the 2015 accord, which offered sanctions relief in exchange for curbs on Iran’s nuclear programme but contained sunset clauses that Trump argued were too weak.

Addressing Iran’s current intentions, Trump asserted that Tehran has abandoned the pursuit of a nuclear weapon. He stated, “In fact, they no longer want a Nuclear Weapon, nor will they have one, either through purchase, development, or any other form of procurement.” The claim, when realised, would be a major shift from Iran’s position over the past decade, when it consistently denied seeking a bomb while expanding uranium enrichment.

The most immediate commitment in Trump’s post concerned the Strait of Hormuz. He said, “The Deal is scheduled to get signed tomorrow, and immediately after it is signed, the Hormuz Strait is OPEN TO ALL.” Hormuz carries around a 5th of the world’s oil and liquefied natural gas (LNG), so any change in access has direct implications for global energy markets and regional security. Trump presented the opening of the strait as a direct result of the new deal.

Trump summed up his view of the broader relationship with a direct comparison to past governments. “Our relationship with Iran is a much different and better one than previous Administrations have had,” he wrote. The comment frames his diplomacy as a departure from both Obama’s negotiated engagement and the pressure-heavy approach that followed the US exit from the JCPOA.

Further details regarding the development in West Asia are awaited.