President Donald Trump told AFP on Tuesday that the United States had achieved a “total and complete victory” after reaching a two-week ceasefire agreement with Iran.
In a brief telephone call, Trump said he believed China had influenced Iran to enter negotiations, adding that Tehran’s enriched uranium would be “perfectly taken care of.”
The U.S. leader expressed optimism about the truce, even as Iran framed the agreement as a win for its side and amid lingering questions over the exact terms both countries had accepted.
The ceasefire was agreed upon just an hour before Trump’s deadline to strike Iran was set to expire.
“Total and complete victory. 100 percent. No question about it,” Trump told AFP when asked whether he was claiming victory over the ceasefire.
With uncertainty surrounding arrangements for the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz to oil traffic, Trump emphasized that a strong framework was in place for a longer-term deal.
“We have a 15 point transaction, of which most of those things have been agreed on. We’ll see what happens. We’ll see if it gets there,” he said.
Earlier, Trump had noted on his Truth Social network that Iran had presented a 10-point proposal that he described as “workable.”
When asked whether he might revert to threats against Iran’s civilian infrastructure if the deal collapsed, Trump said, “You’re going to have to see.”
Uranium ‘taken care of’
The fate of Iran’s enriched uranium, a central issue in a conflict partly aimed at preventing Tehran from acquiring nuclear weapons, remains a key question.
Trump, however, insisted the nuclear material would be addressed under the agreement.
“That will be perfectly taken care of, or I wouldn’t have settled,” he said, without providing details.
The ceasefire follows over a month of destructive U.S. and Israeli attacks and comes after mediation by Pakistan.
Trump confirmed that he believed China had a role in persuading Iran to negotiate. “I hear yes,” he said when asked about Beijing’s involvement in bringing Tehran to the table.
The U.S. president is scheduled to visit Beijing in mid-May to meet Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping, a summit originally planned for early April but postponed so Trump could oversee the Iran conflict.
China, a major buyer of Iranian oil that mostly passes through the Strait of Hormuz, has close ties with Tehran but also maintains strong economic relationships with Gulf countries and has repeatedly condemned Iranian attacks on them.
