US President Donald Trump said Sunday, May 24 that if his administration reaches a deal with Iran, it will be a “good and proper one,” as both countries reportedly move closer to an agreement aimed at ending hostilities.

 

 

“If I make a deal with Iran, it will be a good and proper one, not like the one made by Obama, which gave Iran massive amounts of CASH, and a clear and open path to a Nuclear Weapon,” Trump wrote on Truth Social, referring to the 2015 nuclear agreement between the Obama administration, Iran and several world powers, which placed restrictions on Tehran’s nuclear program in exchange for sanctions relief.

 

 

 

“Our deal is the exact opposite, but nobody has seen it, or knows what it is. It isn’t even fully negotiated yet,” Trump added. “So don’t listen to the losers, who are critical about something they know nothing about. Unlike those before me who should have solved this problem many years ago, I don’t make bad deals!”

 

 

Several media outlets have reported that Washington and Tehran are nearing a peace agreement following the ceasefire reached in early April.

 

 

CBS News correspondent Jennifer Jacobs reported that the proposed agreement could include the United States lifting its naval blockade on Iranian ports, while Iran would dispose of its stockpiles of highly enriched uranium. A senior administration official also said the U.S. wants Iran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz and stop imposing tolls on ships passing through the strategic waterway.

 

 

 

Iranian military restrictions on shipping through the strait began after the U.S. and Israel launched strikes on the final day of February. The disruption has significantly impacted the global energy market, with gas prices in the United States climbing from below $3 per gallon before the conflict to more than $4.50 per gallon as of Sunday, according to AAA.

 

 

The first 39 days of the conflict before the ceasefire reportedly led to the deaths of 1,701 civilians in Iran, including at least 254 children, according to the U.S.-based Human Rights Activists News Agency.

 

 

Iran’s Fars news agency, which is closely aligned with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, also reported Sunday that the agreement would allow Iran to continue managing the Strait of Hormuz.

 

 

 

 

Sen. Thom Tillis criticized the reported terms of the deal during an appearance on CNN’s “State of the Union.”

 

 

“There are a lot of things that need to be explained. And, as I have said before, any agreement with Iran that isn’t subject to ratification by Congress, I think, is going to be doomed to fail,” Tillis said.

 

 

 

 

Meanwhile, Sen. Rand Paul defended Trump’s approach, urging critics to allow the president “the space to find an America First solution” to the conflict.

 

 

“War virtually always ends with negotiations,” Paul wrote on social media.