Currently changing his public position on the Iran negotiations almost daily: US President Donald Trump.Image: keystone
On Sunday, the US President spoke of “largely” completed negotiations with Iran. But on Monday there were already different sounds coming from the White House.
May 25, 2026, 06:41May 25, 2026, 06:47
That’s what it’s about
On Sunday night (Swiss time), Donald Trump gave the world hope that the US war in Iran could soon come to a definitive end. He spoke of negotiations being well advanced and a “quick conclusion” within reach. But now different sounds are coming from Washington again. Trump has dampened hopes for a quick deal to end the Iran war. He doesn’t want to rush into anything now. There were already doubts about the credibility of the US President’s statements on Sunday, when the Iranian rulers immediately denied an agreement regarding the opening of the Strait of Hormuz on US conditions.
That’s what Trump says now
It is not definitely clear what caused the US President’s renewed change of heart. It is likely that the parties remain far apart on two core issues, the Strait of Hormuz and the Iranian nuclear program. Trump now wrote on his Truth Social platform that they didn’t want to make any mistakes in the negotiations. “The negotiations are proceeding in an orderly and constructive manner and I have instructed my representatives not to rush the deal as time is on our side.” Both sides would have to take their time. “There can be no mistakes!”
A week ago, Trump had publicly put pressure on Tehran – and wrote in the same place: “The clock is ticking for Iran, and they had better move FAST, otherwise there will be nothing left of them.”
The US blockade of Iranian ports will remain in full force until an agreement is reached, confirmed and signed, Trump wrote. The leadership of the Islamic Republic must understand that it cannot have nuclear weapons. In addition to control over the Strait of Hormuz, this is one of the core points of contention (see next point).
The main points of contention
On Saturday evening, Trump declared for the first time that a framework agreement had been “largely” negotiated. “The final aspects and details of the agreement are currently being discussed and will be announced shortly,” he wrote.
US media then reported, citing a senior White House official, that the Iranian leadership’s approval of a framework agreement could take several days. One is optimistic, but the whole thing could still fail. Important points such as the question of whether Iran will be Nuclear program will permanently reduce, but are still unclear.
The agreement would be important for global oil trade Strait of Hormuz reopen and oblige Iran to dispose of its highly enriched uranium, the New York Times quoted the US official as saying. How Tehran should accomplish this is still being negotiated, it was said. Regarding the Strait of Hormuz, as mentioned, the Iranian government immediately denied an agreement on US terms.
“It felt like a breakthrough, but we’ve seen some of these points before, and they always failed when it came to competing interpretations of the details,” Rory Johnston, founder of oil research firm Commodity Context, told the Wall Street Journal.
That’s what Iran says
The Iranian leadership has not yet commented publicly on the content of a possible agreement or the ongoing negotiations with Washington. Representatives of the two countries said an agreement would only be an initial framework for further negotiations and not the final word.
Iranian President Massoud Peseschkian said on Sunday that his country was “ready to assure the world that we are not seeking nuclear weapons,” according to the state news agency Irna. At the same time, however, he emphasized that the Iranian negotiators “will not make any compromises when it comes to the honor and dignity of the country.”
Iranian President Massoud Peseschkian.Image: EPA
Tasnim news agency, close to the Revolutionary Guards – Iran’s elite military force – reported on Sunday, citing an informed source, that disagreements remained on one or two points. They have not yet been finally clarified “due to obstacles from the USA”. Nothing was communicated about the content. It simply said that Iran was insisting on its rights and that the agreement could not be sealed until the obstacles were removed.
Trump responds to criticism from his own ranks
On Sunday, Trump confronted skeptics who also exist in his Republican ranks and defended his actions. Unlike his predecessors, who should have solved the problem years ago, he doesn’t make bad deals, he wrote on Truth Social. If he concludes an agreement, it will be a good and solid one.
Criticism of Trump’s actions came from Texas Senator Ted Cruz, among others. “I am deeply concerned,” Cruz wrote on
Dan Shapiro, a former US ambassador to Israel and adviser on the Iran negotiations, summed up concerns about a weak deal, contrary to Trump’s claims, to the Wall Street Journal:
“Trump must choose between the uncertainty of escalation and the certainty of being criticized for a weak agreement.”
Trump calls for Arab states to move closer to Israel
In a phone call with the heads of state and government of Arab and other Muslim countries on Saturday, Trump said that he expected them to normalize relations with Israel if he reached an agreement to end the Iran war, the US news portal “Axios” quoted two US officials as saying. The leaders of Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Pakistan were surprised. “There was silence on the line and Trump joked and asked if they were still there,” one of the officials was quoted as saying.
Trump launched the so-called Abraham Accords in 2020 during his first term in office. As a result, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Morocco and Sudan normalized their relations with Israel. He wants those countries that have not yet joined the agreements to do so and normalize their relations with Israel, Axios reported.
Iran expert Danny Citrinowicz wrote on The prevailing view in Saudi Arabia today is that Israel has become a major cause of regional instability “and in some respects is even seen as more destabilizing than Iran.” Israel’s government, on the other hand, is, according to media reports, very concerned that Trump could conclude what it sees as a “bad deal” with Tehran
Stock markets react
Despite Trump’s recent, sometimes contradictory, statements, oil prices have fallen significantly in light of reports of a rapprochement between the warring parties (“constructive” negotiations). The price for a barrel (159 liters) of the global reference Brent variety fell by a good four percent to 99.4 US dollars.
The leading Asian stock exchange in Tokyo rose in the hope of an end to the Iran war. The Nikkei index for 225 leading stocks climbed above the psychologically important mark of 65,000 points for the first time and recorded a significant increase of 1,992.20 points or 3.15 percent around an hour and a half after trading began, with an intermediate level of 65,331.27 points.
con with material from the news agencies sda and dpa.