The White House on Wednesday forcefully denied an Iranian state television report claiming to reveal the contents of a draft memorandum of understanding between the United States and Iran, calling the purported document a “complete fabrication” as President Donald Trump warned that Washington remains far from satisfied with Tehran’s position.

“This report from Iranian controlled media is not true and the MOU they ‘released’ is a complete fabrication. Nobody should believe what Iranian state media is putting out. FACTS MATTER,” the White House wrote on X.

The Iranian report claimed that the draft agreement would require the United States to withdraw forces from Iran’s vicinity and lift its blockade of Iranian ports. In exchange, Tehran would restore commercial shipping through the Strait of Hormuz to pre-war levels within a month, according to the report. The purported draft also said Iran would continue managing ship traffic through the Strait of Hormuz, a provision that would be viewed as a significant diplomatic win for Tehran if it were ever included in a final agreement.

But the White House denial came as Trump publicly signaled that, despite ongoing talks, the core dispute between Washington and Tehran remains unresolved.

“They thought they could wait me out,” Trump said of Iran. “They said, ‘We’ll wait until after the midterms.’ I don’t care about the midterms.”

Trump said Iran is “very much intent” on reaching an agreement, but warned that Tehran has not yet met U.S. demands.

“They want very much to make a deal,” Trump said. “So far they haven’t gotten there. We’re not satisfied with it, but we will be, either that or we’ll have to just finish the job. They’re negotiating on fumes.”

The remarks underscored the same deadlock that has defined the talks from the beginning: Iran says it will not give up uranium enrichment or abandon its nuclear program, while the United States says it will not allow Iran to obtain a nuclear weapon. Iranian sources told Reuters last week that Iran’s supreme leader had ordered that the country’s highly enriched uranium remain inside Iran, directly defying a key U.S. demand.

Trump has repeatedly framed the standoff as a choice between a deal and renewed military action. In remarks at the U.S. Coast Guard Academy last week, he said the United States might have to strike Iran harder if diplomacy fails, while again stressing that Tehran cannot be permitted to acquire nuclear weapons.

The dispute over uranium remains one of the largest obstacles to any final agreement. Under one possible framework described by officials, Iran would give up its stockpile of highly enriched uranium, though details over whether the material would be transferred, diluted or destroyed remain unresolved. Trump has said the U.S. would take Iran’s uranium and “probably destroy” it if Tehran agreed to hand it over.

The Iranian state TV report focused primarily on shipping, the U.S. blockade and regional military posture, rather than Iran’s nuclear program. That omission itself highlighted the challenge facing negotiators: even if the two sides reach an understanding on reopening the Strait of Hormuz, the nuclear question remains unsettled.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Tuesday that talks on reopening the strait and extending the ceasefire would take several more days, while emphasizing that Trump’s position remains “a good deal or no deal.” The negotiations come as Trump faces pressure from some Republican allies who fear that a deal could leave Iran politically strengthened while failing to fully dismantle its nuclear threat.

Iran, meanwhile, is seeking economic relief after months of war, sanctions and disrupted shipping. Trump said Wednesday that Iran’s economy is “in free fall,” arguing that Tehran is negotiating from a position of weakness. Analysts have said Iran wants relief without appearing to hand Trump a political victory, particularly as the U.S. midterm elections approach.

Oil markets have been closely watching the talks because of the potential reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, one of the world’s most important energy chokepoints. Reports of possible progress toward reopening the strait have already moved global oil prices, though the White House’s denial of the Iranian state TV report added fresh uncertainty.

For Trump, the stakes are both strategic and political. A deal that reopens Hormuz and forces Iran to relinquish its enriched uranium would allow him to claim a major diplomatic and military victory. But if Iran refuses to move on enrichment, Trump’s own comments suggest the talks could collapse back into the same binary choice that has defined the conflict from day one: Iran says it will not give up its nuclear program, and the United States says Iran will never be allowed to have a nuclear weapon.

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)