Washington DC – United States President Donald Trump has posted a series of quick messages on the US-Israeli war with Iran, claiming his government has secured major concessions ahead of a possible next round of ceasefire talks.
Trump’s statements were posted on Truth Social on Friday claimed That Iran had agreed to open – and “never close” the Strait of Hormuz.
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He too alleged That Tehran would eliminate its “nuclear dust” and Israel would be “prohibited” from launching attacks in Lebanon.
Iran has confirmed the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz for the “duration” of the current pause in fighting, which is set to end early next week, barring a new deal. But it has not officially responded to many of Trump’s far-reaching claims.
Despite outstanding questions, the US President struck a celebratory tone, calling Friday “a great and wonderful day for the world.”
Separately, he told Bloomberg News he hoped talks would move forward with a permanent ceasefire agreement on Sunday.
“We are not seeing the whole picture,” Yazeed Sayegh, a senior fellow at the Carnegie Middle East Center, told Al Jazeera, pointing to Trump’s penchant for hyperbole and the many unresolved issues.
“But it does indicate positive momentum toward something that could eventually become a comprehensive deal.”
Sayegh said that at a time when prices of everything from fuel to fertilizers are rising due to the blockage in the Strait of Hormuz, there may be some ulterior motives behind Trump’s upbeat tone.
“It’s very interesting that President Trump is putting such a positive spin on things, not just talking about stimulating the markets and driving down oil prices and driving up stock market prices,” Sayegh said.
“But, I suspect, because he is laying the groundwork for further revelations about the negotiations that are taking place with Iran.”
Trump says Iran will ‘never close’ Strait of Hormuz
A separate statement from Tehran confirmed part of Trump’s social media claims. But the details showed a disconnect between Trump’s position and Iran.
Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi announced on Friday that, in view of the 10-day pause in fighting in Lebanon, “the route through the Strait of Hormuz has been declared fully open for all commercial vessels for the remaining period of the ceasefire.”
Trump quickly repeated that claim on social media, writing that the strait was “wide open and ready for full passage.”
However, a senior Iranian military official told state media that only non-military vessels would be allowed to transit the strait – and only with the permission of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) navy.
Then, Trump further pushed his claims of free maritime traffic, saying, “Iran has agreed to never again close the Strait of Hormuz”.
Speaking to Al Jazeera, maritime security expert Alexandru Hudisteanu said there had been no confirmation from Iran that such a long-term pledge had been made.
“For example, we know that over the last six weeks of the war, the Iranian leadership came to grips with the fact that its control of the Strait of Hormuz gives it the kind of deterrence that its nuclear program, its ballistic missiles, its regional proxies never really gave,” he said.
“So I don’t think the Iranian leadership would have made such a commitment clearly and irrevocably.”
Questions were also being raised about another post made by Trump regarding the US decision to block the strait.
trump Posted The ongoing US naval blockade of Iranian ports in the Gulf “will remain in full force and effect as it relates to Iran, only until our transactions with Iran are 100% completed”.
But media reports indicate that if such a blockade remains effective, Iran could block traffic in the Strait of Hormuz.
Iran’s Fars news agency, which is closely aligned with the IRGC, reported that Tehran considers the continuation of the US blockade a violation of the existing ceasefire and will close the strait again if it is not lifted.
Then there was the question of mines in the strait. On Truth Social, Trump also said that “Iran has removed, or is removing, all sea mines with the help of the United States!”
But news agency Reuters reported that a US Navy advisory on Friday said “the extent of the TSS mine threat is not fully understood. Consider avoiding the area”. The statement mentioned traffic separation plans, two-way shipping lanes in the strait.
Trump says US will get all nuclear ‘dust’
A major stumbling block in negotiations between the US and Iran has been the future of Iran’s nuclear program. While Iran has denied seeking to build nuclear weapons, the US and Israel have claimed that their initial strikes in the war, on February 28, were aimed at preventing Iran from building nuclear weapons.
On Friday, Trump again appeared to claim that Iran will return its enriched uranium reserves, writing on Truth Social that “the United States will get all the nuclear ‘dust'”.
The word “dust” appears to be a reference to the US decision to bomb three major nuclear sites in Iran on June 22, 2025. Despite contradictory evidence, Trump has repeatedly claimed that those strikes “destroyed” Iran’s nuclear program.
On Friday, after his post, Trump told Reuters the US would work with Iran “at a good leisurely pace, and go down and start digging with big machinery” to recover uranium reserves at the sites.
He said, “We will bring it back to the United States.” He also told Bloomberg that Iran has agreed to indefinitely suspend its nuclear program.
Reporting from Tehran, Al Jazeera correspondent Ali Hashem said there was no confirmation on such an agreement.
“This is a big claim here, because the Iranians have always said they would not accept such close terms,” Hashem said. “What we have heard from our sources is that the issue of enrichment and sunset of any status will be left until the end of the talks.”
Trump also said that “no money will be exchanged in any way, shape or form”, another claim that Iran has not confirmed.
Hashem said the release of billions of dollars in frozen Iranian funds, the removal of US sanctions and reparations for war damages have been key priorities for Tehran. He believes Iran will take advantage of issues such as the free flow of traffic through the Strait of Hormuz to extract concessions.
“What is its price?” Hashem said. “And what are the Iranians going to get in return? These are big questions.”
Trump says Israel has ‘stopped’ from bombing Lebanon
Another issue that threatened to disrupt the ceasefire talks was Israel’s ongoing bombing campaign in Lebanon. Mediators in Iran and Pakistan said Lebanon was part of the initial ceasefire, but the US and Israel denied it was part of the agreement.
But on Thursday, a breakthrough was announced: Israel had agreed to halt its invasion and bombing of Lebanon for 10 days.
However, on Friday Trump indicated that the moratorium would remain in place for a longer period of time.
“Israel will no longer bomb Lebanon,” he wrote. “They are banned from doing this by the United States, enough!!!”
He said Washington would work with Lebanon and “deal with Hezbollah’s situation appropriately”.
Reporting from Washington, D.C., Al Jazeera correspondent Alan Fischer said the statement represents a particularly tough US approach on Israel, but it remains to be seen whether Trump will actually try to punish Israel if they do not comply.
“The United States doesn’t do that,” Fischer said.
“Will Donald Trump really change the norms of American politics when it comes to dealing with the Israelis and treat them the same way he has treated other countries in the past, and effectively cut them off?”
Trump thanked regional countries, targeted NATO
While Trump’s posts on Friday were largely celebratory, they also took darts and compliments to various sides in the armistice talks.
Trump thanked Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Qatar for their “great bravery and help.” He also thanked Pakistan Prime Minister Shebaz Sharif and Field Marshal Asim Munir, who helped coordinate US-Iran contacts. He called them “two brilliant people”.
But Trump took aim at NATO, which he has criticized for not supporting the US and Israel’s war against Iran as well as efforts to reopen the Strait of Hormuz.
“Now that the situation in the Strait of Hormuz is over, I got a call from NATO asking if we needed some help. I told them to stay away unless they wanted to refuel their ships,” Trump wrote. “They were useless when needed, a paper tiger!”
The Trump administration has indicated that it is considering withdrawal from NATO, although such a move would require congressional approval.
But despite Trump’s recent statements, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said European allies had agreed to accelerate military planning for a multinational force to secure the waterway during a summit in Paris on Friday.
