U.S. President Trump [AP Yonhap News File Photo]

U.S. President Donald Trump refuted criticism based on media reports on the 24th (local time), stating that the peace negotiations with Iran are not yet over.

In a post on his social media platform, Truth Social, on the afternoon of the 24th, Trump wrote, "If I make a deal with Iran, it will be a good, appropriate deal, and it will be different from the deal Obama (former President Barack Obama) made, which gave Iran massive amounts of cash and opened a clear, unobstructed path to nuclear weapons development."

Trump added, regarding the ongoing negotiations between the U.S. and Iran, "Our deal (being negotiated now) is the opposite of that (the Iran nuclear deal from the Obama administration), but no one has seen the contents, nor do they know what they are."

The former president continued, "The negotiations are not even completely concluded yet. Therefore, do not listen to the words of losers who criticize matters they know nothing about." He emphasized, "Unlike my predecessors who should have resolved this issue years ago, I do not make bad deals."

Trump's social media post came amid reports from U.S. media and others about the draft of a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) being pursued by the U.S. and Iran, and concerns that it represents an "excessive concession" to Iran, even from within some factions of the Republican Party.

The reported core of the draft MOU is a two-stage solution: first, extend the ceasefire by 60 days to open the Strait of Hormuz, and then negotiate for 60 days with the core agenda of preventing Iran's nuclear development.

In response, some within the Republican Party, including Senator Lindsey Graham (Republican-South Carolina), a close associate of President Trump, have raised criticism. Graham expressed concern about Iran potentially securing a significant regional standing and questioned the rationale for starting a war in the first place.

Amidst this atmosphere, Trump had previously posted on social media that he had instructed his negotiating team not to rush into an agreement. It appears that President Trump may be attempting to "control the pace" in the final stages of negotiations and explore the possibility of reaching a more favorable agreement for the U.S., especially as voices of criticism, even from within the Republican Party, express concerns about a "hasty agreement."