Trump blasts Iran deal misinformation as negotiations near breakthrough

Donald Trump attacked what he called misinformation about an Iran agreement even as U.S. and Iranian negotiators moved closer to a draft that could freeze parts of the region’s fighting and restart talks over Tehran’s nuclear program. The mixed message, delivered through social media and competing public statements, underscored how fragile the diplomacy remained as both sides signaled progress without locking down a final text.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said a memorandum of understanding with the United States had “never been closer,” while also warning against speculation until the language was finalized. Iranian officials said a large part of the negotiating text had been completed, but they also stressed that no final decision had been made and that talk of a signing time or place was still speculative. The careful wording reflected a familiar split between momentum at the table and restraint in public, even as pressure built for a result.

The latest proposal under discussion reportedly included a 60-day ceasefire extension, an end to military operations on every front, including Lebanon, and steps to reopen the Strait of Hormuz. It also called for the unfreezing of some Iranian assets held in foreign banks and a continuation of negotiations, a sign that both sides may be trying to turn a temporary pause into a broader framework. A senior U.S. official, however, said some descriptions circulating about the deal went beyond the texts reviewed by sources, including claims about destruction of Iran’s stockpile of highly enriched uranium.

The diplomacy gathered pace on June 11, when efforts to reach an interim deal intensified, according to reporting from multiple sources. By June 12, Pakistan’s prime minister, Shehbaz Sharif, said a “final, agreed upon text” had been reached, adding another layer to a process that has been mediated at different stages by Oman and, more recently, Pakistan. That claim was not independently confirmed by all parties, and Iranian officials continued to say Tehran would not cross its “red lines.”

Trump’s own messaging has shifted repeatedly over the past several weeks. At different moments he said Iran had “agreed to everything” and later warned that Iran would “pay the price” if it did not accept a deal. He also rejected some Iranian reporting on draft terms as fake news, leaving a high-stakes negotiation to unfold alongside a parallel information war. For now, the question is not only whether an agreement can be signed, but whether either side can sell a final deal after so much public contradiction.