WASHINGTON — President Trump announced Tuesday that a nuclear deal with Iran was "largely negotiated," adding that "nobody has seen it yet" and that it was "not even fully negotiated." The announcement was made at a press availability in the Oval Office. No written framework was presented. A follow-up question asking whether the deal existed was not answered.
Iran's state-affiliated Fars news agency responded within the hour, describing Trump's characterization as "inconsistent with reality." Iran's foreign ministry issued a separate statement noting that the Strait of Hormuz remained under Iranian sovereign control and that this was not subject to negotiation. The White House did not respond to the Fars statement. The State Department said it was "monitoring" the Iranian response.
Former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, appearing on Fox News that evening, called the reported framework "the Wendy Sherman playbook" — a reference to the Obama administration's chief Iran negotiator — and said any deal that did not permanently eliminate Iran's nuclear program would be a capitulation. He said he was "deeply concerned."
White House Communications Director Steven Cheung responded to Pompeo's comments on X at 11:47 p.m. "Mike Pompeo should shut his stupid mouth," Cheung wrote. The post was not deleted. A spokesperson for the National Security Council, reached for comment Thursday morning, said the administration's Iran policy was "on track." The spokesperson did not define what "on track" meant in this context. Pompeo has not responded publicly. Negotiations, per the White House, are continuing.
The deal, if finalized, would be the first nuclear agreement with Iran since the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, which the Trump administration withdrew from in 2018. Trump has said the JCPOA was "the worst deal ever made." He has not described what distinguishes the current framework from it. The framework has not been released. It is largely negotiated.