Trump says Iran agreed to never possess nuclear weapons, dismisses $300 million claim
The US President dismissed reports of a USD 300 million payment to Tehran, while JD Vance is set to lead the US delegation for the formal signing of the agreement in Geneva
US President Donald Trump has said that Iran has agreed never to pursue a nuclear weapon and rejected reports claiming Washington would pay Tehran USD 300 million under a newly signed ceasefire understanding between the two countries.
In a post on Truth Social, Trump wrote: "Iran has agreed to never have a Nuclear Weapon! Also, the story that the US is paying Iran 300 million Dollars is Fake News, put out by the Dumocrats!!!"
Trump’s comments came amid reports that the United States and Iran have signed a preliminary memorandum aimed at ending the recent conflict in the Gulf, although details of the agreement remain unclear and talks on a permanent truce are still continuing.
Earlier, Trump announced that Washington and Tehran had signed a preliminary agreement to end the war. Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian also acknowledged the memorandum, calling it an “important step” towards ending the fighting, while emphasising that a lasting ceasefire agreement has yet to be finalised.
Vance said the document that was signed is only about one-and-a-half pages long and serves as a broad framework rather than a detailed accord. According to him, the agreement includes a substantial sanctions relief package for Iran, with more details expected to be made public in the coming days.
Speaking after arriving in France for the G7 summit, Trump said the deal would be formally signed in Geneva on Friday, with Vice President JD Vance representing the United States. “I may be involved, I may not,” the president said in response to a question on his presence at the signing ceremony. The text of the Memorandum of Understanding will be released “pretty soon... sometime after Friday”, Trump said.
In media interviews, Vance said the peace agreement was signed digitally on Sunday, and its full text was likely to be made public later this week. “We already signed the deal digitally yesterday (Sunday),” Vance said on the Good Morning America programme on ABC News.
The deal was negotiated through mediators that included Pakistan and Qatar. Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Monday said that his country would host the signing ceremony of the deal between the US and Iran in Switzerland on June 19.
The Hormuz Strait will be fully open by Friday, and heavy tankers will get priority movement to ensure that the oil and gas supplies flow very quickly, the NYT quoted the senior US official as saying.
(With agency inputs)