Trump's Iran Claims Met With Skepticism as Reports Outline Possible Nuclear Deal

International media treated President Donald Trump’s latest declaration of progress with Iran cautiously after he said overnight between Thursday and Friday that “the war with Iran ended today.” The article says Iran has not confirmed anything, and outlets around the world are waiting for a formal signal from Tehran. The New York Times did not even lead its website with Trump’s announcement, putting it below a SpaceX stock offering, while its homepage headline said Trump was again claiming a near deal after backing away from threats of strikes. The Guardian, BBC and CNN all carried Iran as their top story but stressed that Tehran says nothing is final.

A report in Axios said Trump has agreed to Iranian uranium dilution inside Iran, under a draft memorandum of understanding. Under the reported framework, Iran would commit not to seek nuclear weapons and to resolve the dispute over its enriched uranium stockpile. The report said Tehran would dilute uranium enriched to 60 percent on its own territory, under UN inspectors’ supervision. However, the nuclear issues are still not settled, and any practical steps would come only after a further agreement following the memorandum, which reportedly sets out a 60-day total ceasefire for nuclear talks.

Axios also said the draft calls for the Strait of Hormuz to be opened to traffic without fees and for shipping through it to return to prewar levels within a month. The American blockade would be lifted, and Iran would receive a temporary 60-day exemption from sanctions on oil sales. Those sanctions relief measures could expand if Iran meets its commitments and shows “good faith” in the follow-up talks.

The Lebanese newspaper Al-Akhbar, which is close to Hezbollah, offered a different reading, claiming the American-Iranian understanding also ends the war in Lebanon. It said Lebanon was included in the deal, that Trump spoke three times with Benjamin Netanyahu about Lebanon, and that the understanding goes beyond a ceasefire to a full halt to military activity, a quick Israeli withdrawal from Lebanon, an end to destruction and bulldozer operations, and the release of Lebanese prisoners.

According to that report, the breakthrough came Thursday afternoon through talks in Doha hosted by Qatar’s prime minister, Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, with an Iranian official and a Trump envoy. Al-Akhbar also claimed the arrangement would begin ending the state of war across the Gulf and the wider region, and that Qatar found a solution on Iran’s frozen funds that would satisfy both Washington and Tehran. The paper further quoted Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa as warning Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam not to repeat what he called the Syrian mistake of making concessions to Israel without getting anything back.