Trump Demands Revisions to Iran Nuclear Deal Draft, Strengthening Material Disposal Terms

Taylor Wilson
Published 2026-05-31About 7 min read

Trump ordered changes to a U.S.–Iran draft agreement in a White House Situation Room session, targeting enriched-uranium disposal and sanctions-relief language; the revised framework is now with Tehran, but no deal is locked.

01

What did Trump change?

Revisions target three areas: how Iran's enriched-uranium stockpile is handled, how sanctions relief is worded, and language on reopening the Strait of Hormuz.
A senior U.S. official told Axios that Trump found the original nuclear-material clauses too vague and demanded more specific terms.
This means → Washington's red line on nuclear issues is stricter than what the negotiating team initially drafted — the text was sent back for rewriting before it reached Tehran.
02

What kind of document is this draft?

It is still a non-binding memorandum of understanding, not a final agreement.
In plain terms = it is a "let's agree on the big picture first" framework — a foundation for a ceasefire and follow-on nuclear talks.
The core commitments: Iran pledges not to pursue nuclear weapons, and both sides set a 60-day window to negotiate detailed nuclear obligations and sanctions relief.
03

What signals are both sides sending?

In a Fox News interview the same evening, Trump said the two sides are "close to a very good deal" — but added he could have gotten a "better deal" faster.
He also issued a warning: if no deal is reached, he will ask the Defense Department to step in — his words were "if I don't get what I want, we'll end it another way."
This reflects Trump doing two things at once: signaling optimism with one hand, keeping the military-pressure option open with the other.
04

What is Iran saying?

Iranian state media described the agreement as "close to completion but not yet finalized" and claimed Iran would receive billions of dollars in frozen assets.
The White House denied the frozen-assets claim.
This means → the two sides' public statements on the money question directly contradict each other — that gap alone shows the deal is far from locked.
05

What happens next?

U.S. officials were told Iran needs roughly three days to respond.
A senior U.S. official said: "A deal will get done. How long it takes, we'll see. We're willing to wait until the president gets what he wants."
Put simply = Washington's posture is "patient, but not infinitely so" — they want results by early next week.

Content is for reference only, not financial advice.