Trump returns the draft understanding with Iran to add strict amendments regarding the Strait of Hormuz and the nuclear program.

American officials reported to CNN that US President Donald Trump redrafted the proposal for an agreement with Iran, adding new amendments, after his meeting with his advisors, thus extending the volatile rounds of negotiations for another week, despite his previous declaration that the agreement was “almost final” and that the end of the war was imminent.

Although the exact details of the amendments requested by Trump were not revealed, officials confirmed that the US President insists on “tougher” wording related to two main items: tightening restrictions on Tehran’s nuclear program, and binding Iran to its pledges to reopen the vital strait to international navigation.

Trump also expressed his concerns about the nature of the “financial relief” that might be granted to Iran under the deal, to avoid repeating the scenario of “liquid money platforms” that were delivered to Tehran during the Obama administration, whose agreement he always described as “weak.”

A deep gap behind the scenes of negotiation

The recent moves revealed a stark contradiction in the positions of both sides that threatens to collapse the talks, as Trump announced on social media platforms that the United States would seize and destroy Iran’s stock of highly enriched uranium, denying that there was any discussion about paying money.

On the other hand, Tehran categorically confirms that it does not discuss the details of its nuclear program in the current negotiations, and insists that any understanding must include financial compensation.

In the same context, the semi-official Tasnim news agency quoted the Speaker of the Iranian Parliament, Mohammad Baqir Qalibaf, as saying: “The soldiers of the diplomatic arena do not trust the enemy’s promises, and no agreement will be approved unless Tehran’s rights are guaranteed in a tangible way.”

Internal American skepticism about field effectiveness

For his part, Democratic Senator Chris Coons, a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, expressed doubts about the possibility of implementing Trump’s conditions in practice, warning that American technological superiority may destroy major Iranian factories, but it will not prevent Tehran from using mines to close the Strait of Hormuz or using drones to target Washington and its allies.

The field siege continues

On the field military level, the US army continues to impose its naval blockade on Iranian ports and clear the strait of mines.