Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham said he is "confident" that President Donald Trump won't extend the ceasefire with Iran after next week's deadline, claiming that doing so would allow Tehran to buy time without moving towards a deal.
"I'm confident of — that we're not going to let Iran play the old games they've been playing. They've had plenty of time to understand what we want. What do we want? We want to make sure they stop becoming the largest state sponsor of terrorism. We don't want them have an enrichment program at all," Graham said, according to CNN.
He went on to say that if Iran hands over its enriched uranium and reopens the Strait of Hormuz, he will favor lifting the U.S.'s blockade on the same key waterway, through which about 20% of the world's energy passes.
However, the Trump administration could be moving in another direction, with a new Reuters report noting that Washington and Tehran are now negotiating a temporary deal to prevent a return to hostilities as agreeing on a final framework to end the war remains complicated. In fact, some Gulf and European leaders believe that a deal could take about six months to be agreed, according to Bloomberg.
A senior Iranian official told the outlet that some gaps are being narrowed, including the handling of the Strait of Hormuz, a key waterway through which about 20% of the world's energy passes and has seen a blockade by both countries.
Iran wants the unfreezing of some of its funds to allow ships to go through, according to the report. The country could let ships said through Oman's side of the strait in the scenario.
However, parties are still in disagreement over the fate of Iran's nuclear program, the report added. A U.S. official said on Wednesday that there is no formal agreement yet but "engagement" with Tehran continues.
Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmail Baghaei said the country is open to discussing the type and magnitude of enrichment but, "based on its needs," it "must be able to continue enrichment."
The remarks stand in contrast with President Donald Trump's assessment of whether there is room for Iran to enrich uranium. And even though there are also conflicting reports about the U.S.'s stance on the matter, all of them point at no enrichment, at least in the near future.
The Trump administration reportedly proposed a 20-year moratorium, according to Axios. Tehran signaled openness to the idea but for a shorter, "single digit" period. Despite the stalemate, Trump said Iranian leaders called him on Monday and they "would like to work a deal."
