New details emerge on Iran deal with milestones to dismantle nuke program

WASHINGTON – The White House insisted on Friday that Iran would see no financial benefits from signing a peace deal with the US and would have to earn any sanctions relief.It’s the latest detail emerging in the deal between the US and Iran that President Trump says could be signed within days.The White House emphasized the five points on Friday that must be enacted: Iran will destroy its highly enriched uranium; it will dismantle its nuclear program; economic relief will come with those first two steps; the Strait of Hormuz will stay open; and Iran must stop funding terrorist groups like Hezbollah.The Trump administration is confident the economic benefits they’re offering Iran will outweigh the regime’s desire for a nuclear weapon, giving Trump a major victory. “We have structured this in a way where it’s not built around trust, it’s built around physical milestones, it’s built around action, and it’s built around verification,” a senior administration official told reporters Friday.Should all of the White House’s five-point demands come to pass, Tehran can expect, in return, sanctions relief that will help its decimated economy.“I think they are willing to give up their nuclear ambitions in exchange for some real economic benefit,” the official said, adding if the US sees Iran decommission its nuclear sites and end its enrichment program “then we’re going to be very good to the people of Iran.”The official was around 80% confident that a deal would be reached in the next few days. “We feel good about where we are, but we’re ultimately going to see whether the Iranians care more about their economic prosperity than they do their nuclear weapons program,” the person said.Once this memorandum of understanding is passed, it will kick into effect a 60-day negotiation period where Iran would open the Strait of Hormuz and the final details about the dismantling of the nuclear program – and the benefits Iran gets in return – wi...