Trump slows the pace of talks with Iran, seeking to appease Republican hawks

[Financial News, New York = Lee Byung-chul, correspondent] U.S. President Donald Trump has begun slowing the pace of a deal to end the war with Iran. Until the day before, a ceasefire agreement had seemed imminent, but once details of the proposed deal were reported in the U.S. media, opposition spread, led by Republican hawks. Criticism is growing in the United States as the dismantling of Iran's nuclear program, which Trump had long described as a prerequisite for any agreement, appears to have been pushed to later negotiations.
■"Do not rush"... Trump slows ceasefire talks
On the 24th local time, Trump said on his social media platform Truth Social, "I instructed my team not to rush. Time is on our side." He added, "We need to take our time and do this properly. There must be no mistakes," and said, "We will maintain the U.S. Navy's maritime blockade of Iranian ports until the agreement is finalized, certified, and signed."
He also targeted those criticizing the ceasefire proposal. "The negotiations are not even fully finished," he said. "Unlike those before me, I do not make bad deals." Trump also renewed his criticism of the JCPOA, the Iran nuclear deal signed under former President Barack Obama. "There will be no deal like Obama's that gives Iran massive amounts of cash and opens a clear, unobstructed path to nuclear weapons development," he stressed.
■Nuclear and uranium issues pushed back as ceasefire outline emerges
His reaction came as criticism intensified after U.S. media outlets reported the outline of the ceasefire proposal. The New York Times (NYT) and others, citing senior U.S. officials and Iranian sources, reported that the United States and Iran had agreed in principle on a basic framework to end the war, but that final approval from both leaders could still take several days.
The agreement is said to include reopening the Strait of Hormuz and disposing of Iran's stockpile of highly enriched uranium. However, Tehran is still coordinating whether the material will be shipped abroad or diluted. Trump has publicly said the United States should directly seize and control the nuclear material.
Both sides continue to trade pressure, each emphasizing the concessions it wants to secure. Three Iranian officials said the tentative agreement only sets out a principle to negotiate the nuclear issue over the next 30 to 60 days. The U.S. side also acknowledged that the deal does not directly address Iran's missile program or a moratorium on uranium enrichment. Those issues are expected to be discussed in follow-up talks.
■Republican hawks push back... "Wartime gains could be erased"
Republican hawks fear the talks could end up helping the Iranian regime survive and rearm rather than weakening it. They argue that if sanctions relief and the release of frozen assets are put on the table, long-term security risks in the Middle East could worsen.
Senator Ted Cruz, a leading Republican foreign policy hawk, called Trump's decision to strike Iran "the most significant decision of the second administration," but said, "We must not back down now." Senator Lindsey Graham, a close Trump ally, also criticized any agreement that would leave Iran perceived as the dominant power in the Middle East and still able to attack Gulf oil infrastructure.
Roger Wicker, Chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, said the proposed 60-day ceasefire would be "a disaster" and argued that "everything achieved through Operation Epic Fury could be wiped out." Michael Richard Pompeo, who served as secretary of state in Trump's first administration, also said the deal was not much different from the Iran nuclear agreement under the Obama administration and criticized it as "not America First at all."
pride@fnnews.com Reporter