Trump Says Iran Conceded to All Peace Deal Terms

(MENAFN) U.S. President Donald Trump declared Friday that Iran has conceded to all terms of a prospective peace agreement — including cooperating with Washington to remove its enriched uranium stockpiles — while vowing that America's naval blockade of Iranian ports would hold until a final deal is sealed.

Speaking in a phone interview, Trump moved to quell concerns over a military dimension to any uranium removal operation, stating flatly that no U.S. ground forces would be deployed.

"No. No troops," he said.

Yet when pressed on precisely who would physically retrieve Iran's uranium, Trump suggested American personnel would be directly involved alongside Iranian counterparts.

"We'll go down and get it with them, and then we'll take it," Trump said.

He elaborated on the mechanics of the arrangement, tying the operation explicitly to the conclusion of a formal agreement.

"We'll be getting it together because by that time, we'll have an agreement and there's no need for fighting when there's an agreement. Nice right? That's better. We would have done it the other way if we had to," he said.

Trump further asserted that Tehran had agreed to sever its financial and operational support for proxy forces, including Hezbollah and Hamas — a demand that has long sat at the core of Washington's regional security agenda.

Deal "Mostly Complete," Second Talks Imminent
Earlier Friday, Trump told Bloomberg that a comprehensive agreement to end the U.S.-Israeli war against Iran was largely finalized, adding that further negotiations would "probably" convene this weekend in Pakistan. He confirmed the two sides are expected to meet Saturday or Sunday, and stated the U.S. naval blockade would remain in place "until we get it done."

The anticipated talks would constitute the second round of direct diplomacy between the two nations. The first round, held in Pakistan's capital Islamabad across Saturday and early Sunday, ended without a breakthrough — though it followed the April 8 ceasefire announced between Iran, Israel, and the United States, which brought a halt to 40 days of active hostilities.

Hormuz: Open in Practice, Contested in Principle
The status of the Strait of Hormuz remained a flashpoint Friday, with competing signals clouding the picture. Both Washington and Tehran confirmed earlier in the day that the waterway had been fully reopened to all commercial vessels. Yet Trump subsequently posted on Truth Social that the U.S. naval blockade would "remain in full force" — a declaration that drew an immediate warning from Iran, which threatened to shut down the strait once again should the blockade persist.

Iran first began tightening its grip on the strategic chokepoint on February 28, when it denied safe passage to vessels affiliated with Israel or the United States following joint strikes on Iranian territory. Washington responded by imposing its own blockade after the Islamabad negotiations collapsed, further strangling maritime traffic through one of the world's most critical energy corridors.

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