Report: Trump Ordered Changes to Draft Iran Deal

President Donald Trump ordered a series of changes to the draft agreement taking shape with Iran, according to a report overnight (Sunday) on the website "Axios," citing sources familiar with the details of the talks.

According to the report, Trump raised his demands during a meeting held Friday in the White House Situation Room. A senior U.S. administration official and another source familiar with the matter said Trump asked for several changes to the draft his envoys had formulated with the Iranians, with the main emphasis placed on clauses dealing with the nuclear program and the enriched nuclear material in Iran’s possession.

According to two senior U.S. officials, Trump supports completing the agreement and believes it could be signed in the near future, but at the same time he wants to toughen and sharpen several points he considers critical. Among other things, he is demanding more detail on how control over the enriched material would be transferred, as well as clarification regarding the timetable under which the United States would take possession of the material. In addition, the American president is seeking to impose further restrictions on Iran’s uranium enrichment activity.

Senior administration officials said that following Trump’s demands, a new round of exchanged drafts, comments, and revisions began between the sides. According to assessments, the process could continue for several more days until a final version is formulated that can win Trump’s approval.

The report indicates that Trump also wants to change some of the wording related to the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz. However, administration officials stressed that despite the demand for changes, the president wants to complete the deal as quickly as possible, as long as the core clauses from his perspective receive a satisfactory response.

Fox News aired an interview recorded with Trump several days ago, in which he addressed the progress in the contacts with Tehran. Trump said, "We are close to a very good deal with Iran," but made clear that from his standpoint there is another option if the negotiations do not produce the desired results: "If we don’t get what we want — we’ll end it another way."

Even before the Situation Room meeting convened, Trump announced Friday that he intended to discuss the emerging agreement and even hinted that he was inclined to approve it. After the discussion, a White House official told reporters that Trump "will sign only an agreement that is good for America, meets his red lines, and ensures that Iran can never possess nuclear weapons."