Iran pushes back after Trump says Khamenei approved peace deal, insists 'text not final'

TEHRAN, IRAN: President Donald Trump said a breakthrough peace agreement with Iran is close at hand, claiming that Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei had approved a draft deal and that a formal signing could happen within days. But Iranian officials quickly pushed back, saying no final decision has been made and key issues remain under review.

The conflicting statements highlight the uncertainty surrounding ongoing negotiations aimed at ending months of tensions between Washington and Tehran. While Trump portrayed the agreement as largely settled, Iranian officials stressed that the proposed text has not yet received final approval from the country's leadership.

Trump says deal is near, credits Khamenei's approval

Speaking about the negotiations, Trump said the agreement had been "largely negotiated" and suggested Iran's leadership had signed off on the framework.

Trump has said he has canceled planned strikes against Iran, claiming the leadership in Tehran "approved" a draft agreement to extend the ceasefire, reopen the vital shipping route Strait of Hormuz, and launch 60 days of negotiations on the Islamic Republic's nuclear program.

However, Iran's Fars news agency reported that Tehran has not yet approved a text for any deal with the United States but said there was a "possibility" Tehran would consider signing off. 

Talking to reporters in the Oval Office, Trump said his understanding was that the Iranian Supreme Leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, had given his approval to the proposal. 

"We just made a great settlement of the war with Iran...The strait will officially open as soon as we sign, which could be soon, very soon, maybe over the weekend in Europe," he said. 

"We took them out at night, and the Strait will officially open as soon as we sign, which could be sent very soon, maybe over the weekend in Europe," he added.

The POTUS said US forces will continue blocking Hormuz, the vital shipping route, "until this transaction is finalised" and Tehran has agreed to never have a nuclear weapon.

Iran responds with a denial

Fars, Iran's semi-official news agency affiliated with the Islamic Revolutionary Guards, quoted an "informed source close to Iran's negotiation team" as saying, "No text for a preliminary memorandum of understanding with the United States has been approved."

Iran's Tasnim news agency dismissed Trump's announcement, saying the US president had made similar declarations in the past without any outcome.

"Until Iran announces the matter of a potential understanding, any news from Trump on this subject should be regarded as his previous messages," it said.

Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Esmail Baghaei also said any deal has not been finalised yet. "Most of the text had already been finalised, but the Americans kept changing their positions," he said.

"Iran has demonstrated that it does not compromise on what it has defined as its red lines," he added. "Iran has not yet reached a final decision regarding an agreement."

An inside report says talks stretched late into Wednesday night in Tehran, with Qatari envoy Ali Al-Thawadi and Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi trying to settle the last issues between the US and Iran.

Three people familiar with the negotiations told the outlet that the Qataris and Iranians both felt confident; they thought they’d landed on a text the US would sign off on, too.