‘Nobody should believe what Iranian state media is putting out’: White House slams draft Iran agreenment as ‘complete fabrication’

The White House is really pushing back hard against a draft memorandum of understanding (MOU) that Iranian state media published this Wednesday, The Hill reported. This marks the latest development in the ongoing peace negotiations between Washington and Tehran, and it’s getting pretty intense.

According to a post from the White House’s rapid response team on X, the report from Iranian-controlled media is “not true” and the MOU they “released” is “a complete fabrication.” They weren’t holding back, stating, “Nobody should believe what Iranian state media is putting out. FACTS MATTER.” This direct response came after earlier reports on the Iranian state media’s claims.

So, what exactly did Iranian state television report? Reuters mentioned that they obtained a draft of this unofficial memorandum. In it, the U.S. would apparently lift its naval blockade on Iranian ports and pull troops back from around Iran. In return, the Persian Gulf nation would supposedly get its commercial shipping through the Strait of Hormuz back to pre-war levels within just a month.

This whole back-and-forth started heating up a bit last Saturday when President Trump confirmed he’d spoken with several Middle Eastern leaders

Trump even hinted that the final aspects of a deal would be announced “shortly,” which got a lot of people talking. Then, on Sunday, a senior administration official added some more detail, saying the memorandum of understanding gives the U.S. 60 days to finalize a deal and commits the Iranians “to giving up the nuclear dust.” Sounds like there’s a lot on the table.

Interestingly, despite these talks, the U.S. launched strikes in southern Iran on Monday evening. They called them defensive strikes and made it clear that these actions wouldn’t change the course of the negotiations.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio weighed in on Tuesday, suggesting that a potential deal to end the war might “take a few days.” He mentioned that there were “some talks going on in Qatar today,” and everyone was just waiting to see if progress could be made. Rubio felt that there’s “a lot of talking back and forth going on about specific language in the initial document,” which is why it’s probably taking a while.

Rubio also emphasized President Trump’s approach, saying he’s “either going to make a good deal or no deal.” He stressed the critical importance of reopening the Strait of Hormuz, calling it a “vital passageway.” He was very firm, stating, “They’re going to be open one way or the other, so they need to be open.” He added that what’s currently happening there is “unlawful, it’s illegal, it’s unsustainable for the world, it’s unacceptable.” It’s clear that’s a top priority for the administration.

As of now, though, despite all the reports and discussions, no official deal has been publicly reached. We’ll have to keep an eye on this one, because it seems like things are moving quickly, even with the denials.