Trump Says He Will Review Latest Iran Draft Agreement With Advisers

President Trump said he will review the latest draft agreement from Iran with advisers and may reach a decision on Sunday. The statement came after Trump announced he had called off a planned military strike at the request of Gulf Arab allies. He added that serious negotiations are now taking place.

Background to the Standoff Since the United States and Israel launched military strikes on Iran in late February, a 38-day campaign has given way to a fragile ceasefire and a mutual blockade centered on the Strait of Hormuz. Trump told military commanders to remain on standby for a full, large-scale assault on Iran on a moment's notice if an acceptable deal is not reached.

Three of Trump's stated war aims remain unmet: Iran abandoning its nuclear program, halting ballistic missile development, and ending support for proxy forces in Gaza, Iraq, Lebanon, and Yemen.

Iran's military adviser to the supreme leader, Mohsen Rezaei, said on state television that the country's armed forces' fingers are on the trigger while diplomacy continues. The Strait of Hormuz, through which roughly one-fifth of the world's oil and natural gas moved before the conflict, remains central to the impasse.

Iran's effective closure of the waterway has sent energy prices higher worldwide. An analysis of average national gas prices by AAA shows they have increased more than 50 percent since the start of the conflict. An AP-NORC poll conducted this past week showed that only a third of Americans currently approve of Trump's handling of the economy.

House spokesperson Olivia Wales told reporters this week that President Trump holds all the cards and wisely keeps all options on the table. Vali Nasr, a scholar of Iranian politics at Johns Hopkins University's School of Advanced International Studies, told NPR's Morning Edition that Iranian officials do not take Trump's invitations to negotiate seriously.

Nasr added that the current impasse is unlikely to hold for months, citing the toll on the global economy and limits of U.S. naval capabilities.