TEHRAN- US President Donald Trump has once again claimed that Washington is close to reaching an understanding with Iran, while Iranian sources dismissed his remarks as a mixture of “truth and exaggeration” aimed at portraying an artificial victory for the United States.

In a series of statements posted on Truth Social, Trump said Iran “must agree that it will never possess a nuclear weapon or nuclear bomb,” while also calling for the immediate reopening of the Strait of Hormuz “without any transit fees in either direction.”

Trump further claimed that naval restrictions imposed around Iran would now be lifted and stated that vessels stranded in the Strait of Hormuz could begin returning to their destinations. He also alleged that maritime mines in the area would be removed, claiming that US forces had already destroyed many of them and that Iran would clear the remaining mines.

The US president additionally stated that any extraction of what he described as “buried nuclear dust” would be carried out in coordination with Iran and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). At the same time, however, he stressed that “no financial exchanges with Iran” would take place “until further notice.”

Trump also announced that he would convene a meeting in the White House Situation Room to make a “final decision” regarding the ongoing developments.

Iranian sources, however, strongly pushed back against several of Trump’s claims. Sources cited by the Fars news agency said the American president’s remarks were “a combination of reality and falsehood” intended to create the impression of a diplomatic triumph for Washington.

According to the same sources, Trump falsely claimed that Iran would dismantle or destroy its nuclear materials, insisting that no such provision exists in the memorandum of understanding currently under discussion.

Officials quoted by Iranian media stressed that Tehran would not move to the next phase of negotiations on sanctions relief or nuclear issues until all outstanding matters outlined in the memorandum are resolved.

They further emphasized that any final agreement would be drafted strictly on the basis of Iran’s “red lines” and Tehran’s longstanding distrust of the United States.

Iranian officials also underlined that any potential agreement would include mechanisms for an “immediate reciprocal response” should Washington once again violate its commitments.

An Iranian official cited by the Mehr news agency said Trump’s latest remarks “reflect more what he wishes for than the actual reality on the ground.”

Despite the renewed rhetoric from Washington, Iranian officials maintain that no final understanding has yet been reached and caution that similar American claims about being “close to a deal” have been repeated many times before without producing tangible results.

Tensions between Iran and the United States have once again entered a new phase after the clashes of the past few days in the Persian Gulf, and the US military attacks on southern Iran.

An unnamed US official told Reuters that the American military carried out strikes early Thursday against a target near the Strait of Hormuz. The official claimed the site posed a threat to US forces and maritime navigation in the strategic waterway.

While Washington has attempted to justify its actions as measures aimed at “protecting US forces and maritime security,” Iranian officials describe the attacks as a blatant violation of the ceasefire and a continuation of hostile American policies in the region.

JD Vance, the US Vice President and head of the American negotiating team, described the ceasefire situation as “messy,” while implicitly acknowledging possible coordination failures within US forces. He stated that field commanders are sometimes not fully aligned with senior officials and that “mistakes” can happen.

Meanwhile, the US Central Command (CENTCOM) accused Iran of violating the ceasefire, claiming Tehran had launched a ballistic missile toward Kuwait and deployed several attack drones near the Strait of Hormuz. However, the US statement made no mention of whether the alleged Iranian actions took place after the latest American strikes against Iranian territory.

Tehran has rejected Washington’s narrative and insists that Iran’s actions were a direct response to repeated US aggression. In a statement, the Islamic Revolution Guard Corps (IRGC) announced that after American forces targeted an area near Bandar Abbas Airport early Thursday, the US airbase (in Kuwait) used to launch the attack was itself targeted in retaliation.

At the same time, Deputy Foreign Minister for Legal and International Affairs Kazem Gharibabadi stated that the IRGC’s response to “American mischief” demonstrated the full readiness of Iran’s armed forces and warned that Tehran would respond proportionately if such actions continue.

Iran’s Foreign Ministry also issued a statement condemning the recent US attacks as a clear violation of the ceasefire and contrary to Article 2(4) of the United Nations Charter, emphasizing that Iran “will leave no act of aggression unanswered.”

The statement added that the American actions, taking place amid ongoing diplomatic efforts, once again exposed Washington’s “bad faith and unreliability” and reinforced the Iranian nation’s deep mistrust of US behavior based on “experience and realities on the ground.”

At the same time, Iran’s armed forces recently announced the destruction of a hostile drone over the Persian Gulf using the new “Arash Kamangir” defense system. Iranian officials described the system as a message that no stealth drone would any longer be capable of dominating the skies over the Persian Gulf.

At the strategic level, a growing number of Western analysts and research centers have acknowledged Iran’s considerable geopolitical leverage and deterrence capabilities in the Strait of Hormuz.

David Roberts, an analyst at the Royal United Services Institute (RUSI), argued that the United States still lacks a clear strategy for “fully securing” the Strait of Hormuz and that the waterway cannot realistically be managed without taking Iran’s influence into account.

Similarly, Christian Emery of University College London (UCL) stated that the recent conflict demonstrated how Iran’s geography itself has become one of Tehran’s most important deterrence tools, adding that the US and its allies have failed to prevent Iran from exerting influence over the Strait despite extensive military pressure.

John Mearsheimer, the prominent international relations scholar at the University of Chicago, also argued that the US Navy is incapable of fully controlling the Strait of Hormuz and that “Iran holds the geographical upper hand in the region.”

In another report, Navy Times quoted several Western military analysts as saying that, contrary to claims by some US officials, keeping the Strait of Hormuz open is far from a “simple operation,” since Western naval forces remain vulnerable to Iranian missiles, drones, and asymmetric warfare capabilities.

The Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) likewise noted in a recent analysis that the current confrontation has evolved beyond a purely military conflict into a broader arena of “geopolitical pressure,” with Iran successfully using its strategic position in the Strait of Hormuz as an effective deterrent tool.

Some Western analysts have even referred to the Strait of Hormuz as Iran’s “golden card,” with Al-Monitor describing it as one of Tehran’s most effective instruments of deterrence against foreign pressure.

The Strait of Hormuz now appears more than ever to have become the central arena of strategic confrontation between Tehran and Washington — a confrontation with significant implications not only for Persian Gulf security, but also for global energy markets, international trade, and regional stability.