Jeffries questions possible Iran ceasefire: Trump has said deal is close ’38 or 39 different times’

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House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) on Sunday poked at the prospect that the U.S. and Iran will soon make a deal, accusing President Trump of saying the two countries have been close to a deal “38 or 39 different times.”

The Trump administration expects the U.S. and Iran to finalize a peace deal to end their conflict, reopen the Strait of Hormuz and provide a timeline to negotiate the end of Iran’s nuclear program sometime on Sunday.

“Well, we’d have to take a look at what the ultimate resolution is, if there is one,” Jeffries told Kristen Welker on “Meet the Press” on NBC. “Donald Trump has now said 38 or 39 different times during the course of this war that it was about to come to an end and an agreement was about to be reached. And that has never happened.”

Jeffries blasted the conflict for being “a disaster,” calling Iran “stronger right now.” He said the U.S. already had an agreement about containing Iran’s nuclear program, referring to the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) deal reached by the Obama administration in 2015.

“It was Donald Trump who made the decision to actually rip that agreement up because, apparently, he suffers from Obama derangement syndrome,” the New York Democrat said. “That agreement that had been reached by President Obama actually resulted in Great Britain, France, Germany, South Korea, India, Japan, and thanks to the leadership from President Obama and his administration, China and Russia all engaged with Iran to limit their nuclear aspirations.”

Qatari negotiators flew to meet with Iranian officials in Tehran on Sunday as part of the effort to finalize the peace deal, a person familiar with the matter told Reuters.

Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Saturday said his country, serving as a mediator between the U.S. and Iran, “is preparing for the electronic signing of the peace deal immediately after, followed by technical level talks next week.”

But Iran has contradicted Trump and Sharif’s statements, with Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmail Baghaei telling the Islamic Republic Iran Broadcasting on Saturday that it will use caution before commenting on the deal due “to the other side’s inconsistency.”

Matters became complicated after Israel attacked Beirut with airstrikes, claiming three projectiles were fired toward northern Israel. Trump urged Israel to “not blow” up the emerging peace deal, while Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said the strikes will not impact the deal.

“Ultimately, obviously, we’re attuned to what’s happening with Hezbollah firing rockets into northern Israel, which they need to stop doing, and Iran needs to encourage them to stop doing that in very adamant ways, and Israel was very measured in its response, understanding that a deal is on- is- we’re on the verge of a deal,” Hegseth said on CBS’s “Face the Nation.” “So, I don’t expect that to disrupt.”

Iran last week fired ballistic missiles at Israel after it launched similar strikes on Beirut. The Islamic Regime accused the U.S. of violating the ceasefire due to the Israeli attacks on Lebanon, with a ceasefire between both countries being a component of Iran’s halt to hostilities with the U.S. Trump urged Israel to hold off from striking back, while Iran claimed success.

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Barack Obama

Donald Trump

Hakeem Jeffries

Kristen Welker

Obama

Pete Hegseth

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