Iran warns talks could collapse as Trump ties deal to Abraham Accords

Iran is now saying the ceasefire negotiations with the United States may be headed for a full breakdown, and for good.

Iran’s Foreign Ministry rejected claims that any draft deal includes Iranian nuclear promises or a handover of enriched uranium, calling those reports a “pure lie” and said Washington’s pressure on that point has made further talks almost useless.

The ministry’s message was Iran is “not signing any agreement with the US” under those terms and added that “no one can claim we are close to reaching an agreement.”

Iran denies uranium handover claims as officials say talks with Washington are close to failure

Meanwhile, Tasnim also reported that Tehran is close to “cancelling” the talks completely. Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baqaei had used his Monday press conference to address the Strait of Hormuz, one of the world’s most important oil routes. He said Iran is not trying to charge ships a toll for passing through the strait. He also said Tehran does not collect tolls there now.

Esmaeil said people should be careful with the words they use, because fees, service costs, and tolls do not mean the same thing.

According to him, Iran and Oman are working on a system for safer shipping, and that some services may naturally cost money. He also tied part of that cost to environmental protection.

As you likely know, the Strait of Hormuz sits between Iran and Oman, and Esmaeil said those two countries are the ones physically present there, not Britain or France.

He added that scattered steps by other governments are making the situation harder, but regardless, they’re still working; a navigation system can be put in place quickly. Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi also visited Oman for talks linked to the strait.

Esmaeil said Iran knows the Strait is a global one, but Iran didn’t start this war. US and Israel did.

Trump tells regional leaders to join the Abraham Accords as he links Iran talks to a wider deal

Trump gave a very different message on Truth Social. He wrote that negotiations with the Islamic Republic of Iran are “proceeding nicely,” but said there will either be a “Great Deal” or no deal at all. He also warned that failure could mean a return to “the Battlefront and shooting, but bigger and stronger than ever before.”

Trump said he spoke Saturday with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, UAE President Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Qatar Emir Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, Qatar Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, and Qatari official Ali al-Thawadi. He also named Pakistan’s Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir Ahmed Shah, Türkiye President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, Egypt President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi, Jordan King Abdullah II, and Bahrain King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa.

After naming them, Trump said the countries should, at minimum, sign the Abraham Accords at the same time. The countries he listed were Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Pakistan, Türkiye, Egypt, Jordan, and Bahrain. The UAE and Bahrain are already part of the accords.

Trump said one or two countries may have reasons not to join right away, but he argued that most should be ready to sign. He said that would make any settlement with Iran a much bigger regional event.

He also listed current Abraham Accords members as the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Morocco, Sudan, and Kazakhstan. Trump said those countries have not paused or left the agreement, even during conflict and war.

The most direct line came near the end of his post. Trump said he is “mandatorily requesting” that all countries sign the Abraham Accords immediately. He then said that if Iran signs its own agreement with him as US president, it would be an honor to have Tehran join the same coalition.

Trump also said Saudi Arabia and Qatar should sign first, with others following after. He argued that countries refusing to join should not be part of the deal because that would show “bad intention.” He said he has asked his representatives to begin the process of bringing those countries into the accords.

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