Washington, DC – President Donald Trump has recently shared a series of assertive messages regarding the ongoing US-Israeli conflict with Iran. He claims his administration has secured significant concessions in anticipation of a potential new round of ceasefire negotiations.
In statements posted on Truth Social on Friday, President Trump asserted that Iran had agreed to open the Strait of Hormuz and, significantly, ‘never close’ it again. He further alleged that Tehran would surrender its ‘nuclear dust’ and that Israel would be ‘prohibited’ from initiating attacks in Lebanon.
While Iran has confirmed the re-opening of the Strait of Hormuz for the ‘duration’ of the current ceasefire – which is slated to conclude early next week without a new agreement – it has not officially addressed many of President Trump’s more expansive claims. Despite these unresolved questions, the U.S. President adopted a celebratory tone, declaring Friday ‘A GREAT AND BRILLIANT DAY FOR THE WORLD!‘ Separately, he informed Bloomberg News that he anticipated talks would progress on Sunday, with a permanent ceasefire agreement seemingly within reach.
Trump’s Claims on Strait of Hormuz
Part of President Trump’s social media assertions appeared to be corroborated by a separate statement from Tehran, though details revealed discrepancies between his stance and Iran’s. Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi announced on Friday that, in light of a 10-day pause in fighting in Lebanon, ‘the passage for all commercial vessels through Strait of Hormuz is declared completely open for the remaining period of ceasefire.’ President Trump swiftly echoed this claim on social media, writing that the strait is ‘FULLY OPEN AND READY FOR FULL PASSAGE‘.
However, a senior Iranian military official told state media that only non-military vessels would be permitted to transit the strait, and only with permission from the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Navy. President Trump then extended his claims of free maritime traffic, stating, ‘Iran has agreed to never close the Strait of Hormuz again.’ Speaking to Al Jazeera, Alexandru Hudisteanu, a maritime security expert, stated there has been no confirmation from Iran regarding such a long-term pledge. He noted, ‘We know, for instance, that over the last six weeks or so of the war, the Iranian leadership grasped the fact that its control over the Strait of Hormuz gave it the kind of deterrence that its nuclear programme, its ballistic missiles, its regional proxies, had never actually given it.’ He concluded, ‘So I don’t think that the Iranian leadership would have made this kind of commitment unequivocally and irrevocably.’
Lingering questions also surrounded another of President Trump’s posts concerning the U.S. decision to blockade the strait. President Trump posted that the ongoing U.S. naval blockade of Iranian ports in the Gulf ‘WILL REMAIN IN FULL FORCE AND EFFECT AS IT PERTAINS TO IRAN, ONLY, UNTIL SUCH TIME AS OUR TRANSACTION WITH IRAN IS 100% COMPLETE‘. However, media reports suggest that Iran might close traffic in the Hormuz Strait if such a blockade were to persist. Iran’s Fars News Agency, closely aligned with the IRGC, reported that Tehran considers the continuation of the U.S. blockade a violation of the current ceasefire and would again close the strait if it was not lifted. Furthermore, questions arose about mines in the strait. On Truth Social, President Trump also stated that ‘Iran, with the help of the U.S.A., has removed, or is removing, all sea mines!’ Yet, Reuters reported that a U.S. Navy advisory on Friday indicated the ‘status of TSS mine threat is not fully understood. Consider avoidance of that area,’ referring to the Traffic Separation Scheme.
Iran’s Nuclear Program: The ‘Nuclear Dust’ Claim
A significant point of contention in U.S.-Iran negotiations has been the future of Iran’s nuclear program. While Iran denies seeking a nuclear weapon, the U.S. and Israel claim their initial attacks in the war, on February 28, were aimed at preventing Iran from developing one. On Friday, President Trump again appeared to claim that Iran would surrender its enriched uranium stockpile, writing on Truth Social that ‘the U.S.A. will get all Nuclear ‘Dust’‘. The term ‘dust’ seemingly refers to the U.S. decision to bomb three key nuclear sites in Iran on June 22, 2025. President Trump has repeatedly asserted that these attacks ‘obliterated’ Iran’s nuclear program, despite conflicting evidence. Later, he explained to Reuters that the U.S. would work with Iran ‘at a nice leisurely pace, and go down and start excavating with big machinery’ to retrieve the uranium stockpile. ‘We’ll bring it back to the United States,’ he added, also telling Bloomberg that Iran had agreed to suspend its nuclear program indefinitely.
Reporting from Tehran, Al Jazeera correspondent Ali Hashem stated there has been no confirmation of such an agreement. Hashem remarked, ‘This is a big claim here, because the Iranians have always said that they’re not going to accept such a close such a condition.’ He added, ‘What we’ve heard from our sources is that the issue of enrichment and the sunsets of any conditions is going to be left till the end of the talks.’ President Trump also maintained that ‘no money will exchange hands in any way, shape, or form,’ another claim unconfirmed by Iran. Hashem highlighted that the release of billions of dollars in frozen Iranian funds, the lifting of U.S. sanctions, and reparations for war damages have been key priorities for Tehran. He believes Iran will leverage issues like the free flow of traffic through the Strait of Hormuz to extract concessions, posing the questions: ‘What’s the price for this? And what are the Iranians going to take in return? These are big questions.’
Israel’s Actions in Lebanon: A Prohibited Future?
Another issue threatening ceasefire talks was Israel’s ongoing bombing campaign in Lebanon. Iran and mediators in Pakistan had asserted Lebanon was part of the initial ceasefire, but the U.S. and Israel denied this. However, on Thursday, a breakthrough was announced: Israel agreed to a 10-day pause in its invasion and bombardment of Lebanon. On Friday, President Trump seemed to imply that this halt would be long-term. ‘Israel will not be bombing Lebanon any longer,’ he wrote. ‘They are PROHIBITED from doing so by the U.S.A. Enough is enough!!!‘ He added that Washington would work with Lebanon to ‘deal with the Hezboolah [sic] situation in an appropriate manner.’ Reporting from Washington, DC, Al Jazeera correspondent Alan Fisher noted that this statement represents a particularly firm U.S. stance on Israel, but whether President Trump would indeed seek to penalize Israel for non-compliance remains to be seen. Fisher questioned, ‘Is Donald Trump actually going to change the norms of American politics when it comes to dealing with the Israelis and treat them like he’s treated other countries in the past, and effectively cut them off?’
Regional Reactions and NATO Criticism
While President Trump’s posts on Friday were largely celebratory, he also offered both praise and criticism to various parties involved in the ceasefire negotiations. He thanked Saudi Arabia, UAE, and Qatar for their ‘great bravery and help,’ and also Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shebaz Sharif and Field Marshal Asim Munir, who facilitated U.S.-Iran contacts, calling them ‘two fantastic people.’ However, President Trump criticized NATO, which he has previously faulted for not supporting the U.S. and Israeli war against Iran, nor subsequent efforts to re-open the Strait of Hormuz. ‘Now that the Hormuz Strait situation is over, I received a call from NATO asking if we would need some help. I TOLD THEM TO STAY AWAY, UNLESS THEY JUST WANT TO LOAD UP THEIR SHIPS WITH OIL,’ President Trump wrote. ‘They were useless when needed, a Paper Tiger!’ The Trump administration has indicated it is considering a withdrawal from NATO, though such a move would require congressional approval. Despite President Trump’s recent statements, UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer stated that European allies had agreed to accelerate military planning for a multinational force to secure the waterway during a summit in Paris on Friday.
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