Trump backs down: Washington does not seek to topple the Iranian regime

US President Donald Trump said that Washington is not seeking to topple the Iranian regime, stressing that the Doha negotiations are "going very well" and that Tehran has agreed to "almost all US conditions" related to the nuclear file, in a striking departure from his hardline rhetoric over the past weeks.

In an interview with CNBC, Trump stressed that the primary goal of the negotiations is to prevent Iran from acquiring a nuclear weapon and "not to change its political system," considering that recent U.S. strikes have "exhausted Iran's military power and its entire radar network," and that Iranian leaders have become "more rational" in dealing with Washington.

Trump has proposed allowing Tehran to use part of its frozen assets to buy exclusively U.S. agricultural products — such as wheat, corn and soybeans — to ensure that the money is spent on food rather than on rebuilding military capabilities.

Trump said that Iran "is not making money, we will take some money and buy for them, they need food, corn, wheat and soybeans, and we will make our American farmers exclusively provide that," noting that  the proceeds are supposed to go to buy food from the United States, not to rebuild the Iranian army.

Iran refuses to buy U.S. agricultural products

  Tehran categorically rejects Trump's proposal to use Iran's frozen financial assets exclusively to buy U.S. agricultural goods, Iran's agriculture minister said, considering that the offering undermines the country's economic sovereignty and restricts its trade options.

The minister stressed that Iran's national priority is to support local production and enhance the status of Iranian farmers, not to direct the people's money to revive the agricultural sector in the United States, stressing that Tehran insists on restoring its assets in full and without conditions, so that it can buy from any international market that suits its needs.

He pointed out that Iran already has strategic alternatives and extensive trade partnerships to secure its needs for grain and basic commodities, especially Russia, China and countries in South America, which makes the US proposal unacceptable from an economic and political point of view.

Securing the Strait of Hormuz 

Trump praised the US naval blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, calling it a "steel wall", stressing that the military operation prevented oil prices from rising to record levels that could exceed $350 per barrel.

The US president accused Tehran of practicing what he described as "bullying" in the Middle East and against the United States for 47 years, considering that this was the result of "the weakness of previous presidents."

Trump referred to former US President Barack Obama, accusing him of handing over $1.7 billion in cash to Iran, claiming that the money was used by Tehran to develop its weapons and missiles.

US offer to Iran to abandon 'Hormuz Tariffs'

 The Wall  Street Journal, citing sources, revealed that the United States has offered Iran to abandon plans to impose fees for ships transiting through the Strait of Hormuz in exchange for the release of part of Iran's frozen assets.

The sources said that the US president's special envoy Steve Whitkoff and US President Donald Trump's son-in-law, Jared Kushner, made the offer during their visit  last week in an attempt to find a way out of the crisis and break the deadlock in negotiations with Qatari mediators.

According to the newspaper, Washington has offered Tehran to abandon its claim to control the strait and to impose tariffs on ships, in exchange for a portion of Iran's frozen assets estimated at $100 billion abroad.

The sources indicated that Iran rejected the offer, insisting on its right to control the Strait of Hormuz, while the military forces threatened to take strict measures against ships that sail outside the routes approved by Tehran.