Trump: Iran deal ‘conceptually deals’ with Iran’s nuclear material, Khamenei has approved it

US President Donald Trump acknowledges that the deal he is touting with Iran is one that only “conceptually” deals with the issue of Iran’s nuclear material.

Trump has long asserted that Iran would have to hand over its stockpiles of highly enriched uranium, but the memorandum of understanding that he is hoping to sign over the weekend merely sets the stage for subsequent talks on the issue.

The MOU will, however, include a commitment from Iran not to obtain a nuclear weapon, something Tehran has long said it wasn’t interested in pursuing, while Washington to date had cast doubt on the Islamic Republic’s sincerity.

Trump appears unbothered, though, by the deal’s failure to concretely address Iran’s uranium stockpiles, telling reporters in the Oval Office that “nobody has gotten close” to them” because they’re “buried under a mountain” after the US strikes on Tehran’s nuclear facilities in June of last year.

Asked how confident he is that the deal will actually be signed, given that he has repeatedly jumped the gun in the past, Trump responds that he’s “pretty confident” the deal will be inked soon, “maybe over the weekend.”

He adds that the US will immediately lift its blockade of Iranian ports once the deal is reached.

Trump says he believes Iranian supreme leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei has personally approved the deal: “I understand the answer is yes,” he says when asked if Khamenei gave the nod.

Pressed on whether Iran could again be stringing the US along again, as Trump claimed yesterday, the president responds that he doesn’t think that’s the case this time, because the US has hit Iran so hard, including in recent days.

He adds that the brewing agreement will be a “great deal for Iran because they’ll be able to build up their country” — an ostensible reference to the sanctions relief that Tehran will enjoy if it complies with the terms of the deal.

“It’s a very strong MOU,” Trump says, adding that it could be signed on Saturday or Monday.

While the deal discussed envisions a 60-day ceasefire extension during which nuclear talks will be held, Trump declines to give such a timeline, saying he doesn’t want to be called out again for not adhering to it.

He says the Strait of Hormuz will be reopened as part of the deal before claiming that the channel has been open for months, “and you just didn’t know about it.”

He is referring to the US having quietly succeeded in getting oil through the strait, though navigation through the channel was significantly obstructed for much of the rest of the world.