A report that the U.S. and Iran are nearing an agreement on a one-page memorandum to end the war was met with almost immediate pushback despite President Donald Trump claiming progress.
Iranian officials and the president have been sending a series of chaotic and mixed signals since Trump announced on Monday he was pausing “Project Freedom” in the Strait of Hormuz.
Early Tuesday, Axios reported that the White House believed it was getting closer to a memorandum of understanding to end the war and set parameters for nuclear talks, but a senior Iranian parliament official threw cold water on the idea that progress was being made.
“The Axios text is more of an American wish list than a reality,” wrote Ebrahim Rezaei, spokesperson for the parliament’s foreign policy and national security committee wrote on X.
He claimed the Americans are “losing” the war and will not gain anything that they failed to obtain in negotiations.
Meanwhile, the spokesperson for Iran’s foreign ministry said in an Iranian news agency interview on Wednesday that his government was reviewing an American plan to end the war.
Esmail Baghaei said, “After finalizing its considerations, Iran will convey its views to the Pakistani side.”
As Iranian officials prepare a response, Trump issued another ultimatum early on Wednesday that Iran accept an agreement he claims they already agreed to or face further strikes.
“Assuming Iran agrees to give what has been agreed to, which is, perhaps, a big assumption, the already legendary Epic Fury will be at an end, and the highly effective Blockade will allow the Hormuz Strait to be OPEN TO ALL, including Iran,” Trump wrote. “If they don’t agree, the bombing starts, and it will be, sadly, at a much higher level and intensity than it was before.”
The president’s post directly contradicted Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s claim from the White House podium on Tuesday that Operation Epic Fury was “over.” Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth also insisted that the U.S. had moved on from that operation to focus on “Project Freedom” to move stalled shipping in the Strait of Hormuz.
But just hours after both Rubio and Hegseth touted the new military efforts to provide safe passage in the Strait, Trump announced in a post later Tuesday that he was pausing “Project Freedom.”
The president wrote just before 7 p.m. ET on Tuesday that it was being paused “for a short period of time to see whether or not the Agreement can be finalized and signed.”
He also indicated it was done at the request of Pakistan and other countries while claiming “Great Progress has been made toward a Complete and Final Agreement with Representatives of Iran.”
The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Navy then suggested in a statement on Wednesday that it expected to maintain control in the Strait when it thanked captains for complying with Iranian rules.
