The president credited a U.S. blockade of Iranian ports for pushing Iran toward a deal as negotiations enter a final phase.
U.S. President Donald Trump said on June 9 that the United States and Iran were in the “final throes” of negotiations on a deal that would permanently block Tehran from obtaining nuclear weapons, while Iranian officials said they hoped talks could reach a conclusion by the end of June.
Trump made the remarks to reporters at John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York, with his comments coming after Iran and Israel stepped back from their most direct military confrontation since an April ceasefire.
Both sides halted attacks following a weekend exchange of missile strikes that threatened to derail months of efforts to settle the war through diplomacy, which Trump said is his preference rather than more bloodshed.
“If we do the bombing, you know a lot of people are going to be killed. Who wants to do that? I don’t,“ Trump said. ”We’ll have a signed document that’s actually stronger than doing the bombing.”
Trump said he had a “very good conversation” with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, during which the Israeli leader agreed to avoid further escalation with Iran for the time being.
“He was hit, and he hit back, and I can’t blame him for that,” Trump said. “But he was hit, he hit back, and now they’ve called it quits. So they’re going to just leave each other alone for another week or something.”
Trump also said that the Strait of Hormuz, a critical shipping lane through which roughly one-fifth of global oil and liquefied natural gas trade normally passes, could reopen quickly once an agreement is signed.
“The Strait will open up right away. It will open up immediately upon signing, which could be in two or three days,” he said.
He said the agreement would also prevent Tehran from obtaining nuclear weapons, another key objective that Trump has pursued in the negotiations alongside reopening the Strait of Hormuz and restoring unrestricted shipping of crude and other critical commodities.
“We are in the final throes of what will be a very, very good deal that will not allow in any way, shape, or form nuclear weapons,” Trump said.
Even as Washington and Tehran have pursued negotiations through Pakistani mediation, Iran has continued to restrict maritime traffic through the Strait of Hormuz, rattling energy markets and raising fears of broader economic disruption.
Renewed hostilities between Iran and Israel over the weekend raised concerns that the conflict could devolve into a wider Middle East war.
Iran’s ambassador to the United Nations, Amir Saeid Iravani, told reporters in New York that the two sides were still exchanging views on a final text of an agreement framework.
“We have not received to a final document, but we are pursuing to receive it,” he said in response to a question from The Associated Press after he spoke at a U.N. Security Council meeting on Afghanistan on June 8.
When asked whether an agreement could be reached before the end of June, he replied: “We hope so. We hope so.”
Iranian officials have said negotiations are focused on finalizing a memorandum of understanding to end the conflict and address issues including maritime access and regional security.
By Tom Ozimek
