Donald Trump vowed to lift the US naval blockade in the Strait of Hormuz and make a “final determination” on Iran on Friday, as the world awaits his decision on a memorandum of understanding hashed out by negotiators to extend the ceasefire and pave the way for nuclear talks.
As of Friday evening US time, however, no deal had been announced.
“Ships caught in the Strait due to our amazing and unprecedented Naval Blockade, which will now be lifted, may start the process of “heading home!” the US president wrote on Truth Social earlier in the day.
Trump said some items have already been agreed, but insisted Iran “must agree” never to have a nuclear weapon, and that the Strait of Hormuz must be reopened without tolls. He said that uranium will be unearthed by the US in coordination with Iran and the UN nuclear watchdog and destroyed.
But Iran’s Fars news agency, citing sources, quickly pushed back on the president’s claims, casting the statement as a “mixture of truth and falsehood” intended “to portray a fabricated victory”.
It said there was no clause in the initial MOU that Iran would have to reopen the Strait without tolls, and no provision about destroying Tehran’s nuclear materials. Iran would reopen the waterway according to its own pre-determined arrangements, it said.
White House remains vague on state of Iran deal decision
The Trump administration is keeping its cards close to its chest about the fate of Iran war negotiations.
Despite a much-watched announcement from the president that he was considering a “final determination” on recent proposals on Friday, much of the day has come and gone without any announcement of a deal.
When asked about whether a deal had been made, the administration remained vague.
“President Trump will only make a deal that is good for America and satisfies his redlines,” the White House told CBS News. “Iran can never possess a nuclear weapon.”
Kazakhstan offers to hold Iranian nuclear stockpile: report
The US and Iran have not announced a final deal yet, but any lasting agreement will likely include some provision regarding Tehran’s nuclear stockpile.
President Trump has said the US wants to seize and secure the stockpile to keep it from being turned into a nuclear weapon.
Kazakhstan, meanwhile, has offered to take the stockpile if both sides reach an agreement, according the UN.
Kazakhstan’s President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev met with the International Atomic Energy Agency this week and signaled his “openness” to take on the near-weapons grade uranium, the Financial Times reports.
US has seized $1 billion in Iranian crypto so far, Bessent says
The US has seized $1 billion in Iranian cryptocurrency so far as part of its efforts to financially hammer Tehran.
“Just outright grabbed the wallets,” Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said Friday during an event at the Reagan National Economic Forum. “Some of them may be typing in right now and might not realize their wallet had been grabbed.”
The fate of Iranian assets, which have faced a mix of seizures and sanctions, reportedly remains one of the key issues still being debated by negotiators on both sides.
‘A cartoon villain’: Hegseth shredded for ‘cringe’ pep talk to Navy soldiers about Iran war
A clip of US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth giving a “cringe” speech to US sailors about the Iran war is going viral.
Hegseth was in Singapore on Friday, where he did drills with the crew of the USS Boxer and then spoke to a group of assembled sailors about the ongoing conflict.
In his remarks, Hegseth pointed to a recent comment from President Trump, which threatened further US strikes if Iran doesn’t agree to a deal to end the war.
“He said, ‘Well, Iran can either do it the right way, with a deal across the table, or they can deal with my guy on the left,’” Hegseth said. “That happened to be me. But it’s not me. It’s you guys!”
Online commentators quickly mocked the speech and the audience of service members, who appeared to be mostly unmoved by Hegseth’s call to arms.
Read more about the backlash in our full story.
‘Cartoon villain’ Hegseth shredded for ‘cringe’ pep talk to Navy soldiers about Iran
Polling shows the war remains highly unpopular with the American publicJosh Marcus29 May 2026 22:25
The American public still isn’t sold on the Iran war
The Trump administration has now had three months to make its case for the Iran war, but Americans are still broadly against the campaign, according to a new poll.
About 38 percent of Americans support the strikes, a POLITICO poll found, while 41 percent of respondents said they don’t believe the president has a plan for ending the conflict.
Even among Trump supporters, there is little positive sentiment about the war.
Forty-five percent of them told POLITICO the president hasn’t accomplished his goals.
UAE carried out ‘dozens’ of strikes against Iran: report
The United Arab Emirates reportedly carried out dozens of strikes against Iran as part of the conflict, contrasting with the approach of some of its more cautious Gulf neighbors.
The strikes, reported by The Wall Street Journal, were coordinated with the US and Israel and continued through the day after the April ceasefire. They represent a larger involvement in the conflict from the UAE than was previously known.
Some of the reported attacks hit Iranian energy infrastructure as payback for Tehran targeting similar facilities in the UAE, per the paper.
Joint Chiefs chairman seen leaving White House despite no deal announcement
Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. Dan Caine, the highest-ranking US military officer, was seen on Friday leaving the White House, suggesting the president’s Situation Room meeting may have ended without any major progress on an Iran war deal.
Trump’s unpredictability is undermining negotiations, Iranians say
President Donald Trump once published a book called The Art of the Deal, but the Republican’s erratic style may be undermining Iran talks, according to officials.
Iranian officials told The Washington Post that Tehran has a deep distrust of the Trump administration, especially after the US and Israel attacked the country twice in the middle of past negotiations in recent months.
The threat of another such strike has made it hard to clinch this round of negotiations, where both sides want upfront guarantees.
Stocks trading higher on hopes of Iran deal update
All three major US stock indices were in the green Friday afternoon, as Wall Street eagerly awaited possible progress on an Iran deal.
President Trump’s announcement earlier in the day that the US blockade on Iranian ports was over may free up further oil traffic in the Strait of Hormuz, but the economic uncertainty of the war will not truly be resolved until a lasting peace deal is achieved.
Still no decision from Trump on Iran next steps: report
President Trump reportedly met with advisers in the Situation Room for about two hours on Friday, but he still has not reached a decision on major next steps in the Iran war negotiations, according to The New York Times.
The White House believes it is close to reaching a more durable deal, but sticking points remain, including the matter of unfreezing Iranian funds, an official told the paper.
Josh Marcus29 May 2026 20:00NewerOlder