President Donald Trump said Friday that Iran has agreed to put its nuclear program on hold for an unknown period of time. Moreso, the United States will not release any frozen Iranian funds as part of the emerging agreement.
In a phone interview with Kate Sullivan, White House Correspondent at Bloomberg News, the president described the outlines of a deal to formally end the conflict that began in late February between the US, Israel, and Iran.
He said most major elements are already settled, and that follow-up talks to lock in the full agreement could take place as soon as this weekend.
“Most of the main points are finalized. It’ll go pretty quickly,” Trump told Bloomberg on April 17.
The fighting, which began with direct US and Israeli strikes on Iranian targets and Iranian responses, has interrupted global energy flows for weeks.
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A fragile 14-day ceasefire has been in place, including a 10-day pause between Israel and Lebanon, which Iran cited in allowing the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz to commercial shipping on Friday.
Trump has also responded to earlier reports that negotiators had discussed a 20-year limit on Iran’s nuclear activities.
When asked whether the suspension would eventually expire, he replied simply: “No years, unlimited.”
He also made clear that Tehran would receive none of the frozen funds held by the US. That stance constitutes a firm line after weeks of back-and-forth in indirect talks, in which Iran had pushed for shorter enrichment restrictions while the US side had floated lengthier timelines before rejecting them.
Trump teases next round of talks.
The president revealed that a series of new talks is set to take place, with the two sides expected to sign deals if everything goes as planned. Trump said he has not yet picked American team members for the next round of discussions.
He left open the possibility of traveling himself and again mentioned Vice President JD Vance, who handled talks last weekend in Pakistan, as a potential participant.
Trump also again named his son-in-law, Jared Kushner, and envoy Steve Witkoff as possible team members.
On the ground, the situation in the Strait of Hormuz stayed tense. Iran signaled through state-linked outlets that it would reopen the waterway only for the duration of the current Lebanon-related ceasefire and warned it could shut it again if the US maintains its blockade on vessels heading to or from Iranian ports.
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However, Trump made a post on Truth Social that Iran had fully agreed to open the strait and that it had pledged never to close it again in the future.
Before the conflict, roughly one-fifth of the world’s oil and liquefied natural gas passed through the strait. Its closure sharply raised energy prices and raised concerns about wider economic damage.
Iran has not publicly confirmed Trump’s account of the nuclear suspension, or other claimed concessions.
Tehran has so far only addressed the limited opening of the Strait tied to the Lebanon ceasefire.
It is not yet clear whether full commercial traffic can resume quickly while the US blockade continues and Iran insists on retaining long-term authority over the waterway, including potential future tolls.
The president also pointed to progress on stabilizing Lebanon under the current Hezbollah ceasefire as part of the wider regional picture.
Talks in Pakistan.
Talks in Pakistan last weekend lasted more than 20 hours but ended without a breakthrough at the time.
Differences centered on how long Iran would halt uranium enrichment and what sanctions relief, if any, it would get in return.
Trump has repeatedly said his goal is to ensure Iran never obtains a nuclear weapon, and he has voiced dissatisfaction with any temporary arrangement that leaves the door open later.
All eyes are now set on the next round of talks.
