No deal announced after Trump meeting to make 'final determination' on Iran

US President Donald Trump had a meeting on Friday in the White House's Situation Room to make a "final determination" about a framework for extending the ceasefire with Iran, but it concluded without clarity on the next steps. He said Iran must agree to never have a nuclear weapon or bomb, that the Strait of Hormuz be reopened for "unrestricted shipping traffic, in both directions", and that any mines in the waterway are "destroyed". On Thursday, the two countries had agreed a framework of a deal - known as a memorandum of understanding - pending the approval of Trump and Iran's leadership.

The deal would reportedly extend the ceasefire for 60 days and launch talks on the future of Iran's nuclear programme. A White House official told CBS News, the BBC's US news partner, that "President Trump will only make a deal that is good for America and satisfies his red lines. Iran can never possess a nuclear weapon." Since the ceasefire came into effect on 8 April, Trump has repeatedly suggested that the US and Iran are close to a deal and negotiations are progressing, but so far there have been no substantive results. In a social media post earlier on Friday, Trump said he was prepared to lift the US naval blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, allowing ships caught in the waterway to "start the process of 'heading home!'" He also insisted that Iran allow the US to remove and destroy its enriched uranium.

Iran's Fars news agency cited informed sources as saying that Trump's latest comments were a "mixture of truth and lies". Iran's foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei told state TV it was "focused on ending the war, and there are no negotiations on the nuclear issue". US Vice-President JD Vance said on Thursday that negotiators were "going back and forth on a couple of language points", including the "question of enrichment".