Trump rejects Iran’s claim that he signed agreement “out of desperation”

President Trump denied on Friday the Iranian Supreme Leader’s claim that the U.S. signed the agreement with Tehran this week “out of desperation.”

“We didn’t meet out of desperation, Iran did. They are FINISHED!” Mr. Trump declared in a Truth Social post.

The president said the U.S. would “play out” the 60-day negotiation period laid out in the memorandum of understanding with Iran, but he didn’t offer any further explanation of his remark. That two-month period of direct talks on Iran’s nuclear program and other contentious issues had been expected to start Friday, but it has been delayed amid renewed fighting in Lebanon between Israel and Hezbollah.

In a reference to criticism over the deal from both sides of the political aisle in Washington, President Trump reiterated his insistence in his Friday post that Iran would “get no money, not ten cents!” under the deal signed this week.

While the release of billions of dollars in frozen Iranian assets is to be negotiated during the now-postponed next phase of negotiations, the memorandum of understanding states that the “U.S. and regional partners will develop a reconstruction plan for Iran worth at least $300 billion.”