"An agreement has been extensively negotiated, pending finalization, between the United States of America, the Islamic Republic of Iran, and various other countries... The final aspects and details of the agreement are currently being discussed and will be announced shortly." Donald Trump proclaimed on Truth the turning point in the standoff between the US and Iran: "I am in the Oval Office of the White House, where we just had an excellent telephone conversation" regarding "the Islamic Republic of Iran and all matters related to a Memorandum of Understanding on PEACE," he wrote, listing the leaders of Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Turkey, Egypt, Jordan, Bahrain, as well as the head of the Pakistani army.
“Separately, I had a telephone conversation with Israeli Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu, which, likewise, went very well,” he continued, announcing that “the Strait of Hormuz will be opened.”
From Tehran, as is now expected, comes the brakes: according to the latest exchange of messages between Iran and the United States, reported by the Iranian news agency Fars, the Strait of Hormuz would remain under Iranian management . The agency rejected the US president's announcement, calling it "incomplete and inconsistent with reality."
But progress has been made: according to Axios, the cornerstones of the agreement are a 60-day extension of the truce, during which the Strait of Hormuz would be reopened, Iran would be able to freely sell oil, negotiations would be held to limit Iran's nuclear program, and hostilities would also be halted in Lebanon. During the 60 days, the Strait of Hormuz would be opened without tolls, and Iran would agree to remove the mines it has deployed in the strait to allow ships to pass freely . In exchange, the United States would lift the blockade on Iranian ports and grant some sanctions waivers to allow Tehran to freely sell oil . According to the New York Times , the release of $25 billion in Iranian assets abroad is also envisaged. At the same time, the newspaper adds, Iran has committed to giving up its stockpiles of highly enriched uranium: the precise terms under which these will be handed over will be defined in the next round of talks.
All these facts have been confirmed by the Iranian news agency Tasnim, considered very close to the Pasdaran: a halt to hostilities throughout the region, the unfreezing of Iranian assets abroad, and 60 days to negotiate on the nuclear issue (an issue on which "Tehran has made no commitment"), while it is specified that 30 days will be needed for the procedures related to the unfreezing of Hormuz.
That a breakthrough was imminent was clear after the mediators' visit to Tehran on Friday. But the final push toward what is still only a preliminary agreement or memorandum of understanding, with a two-month extension of the truce, was still missing. Donald Trump announced to CBS News that "we are getting significantly closer" to an agreement and that a final agreement would prevent Tehran from obtaining a nuclear weapon by ensuring that Iran's enriched uranium is "managed satisfactorily."
"I will only sign a deal if we get everything we want," he stressed. In an interview with Axios, he revealed that he would discuss the latest draft of the agreement with his advisers (Steve Witkoff, Jared Kushner, and Vice President J.D. Vance) and that he would decide by today whether or not to resume the war. The timing is so crucial that it prompted him to skip his son Donald Jr.'s wedding to Bettina Anderson on a private island in the Bahamas. The commander in chief stated that the odds of a "good" agreement or an attack to "completely wipe them out" are "50/50."
The call with Gulf leaders was also crucial: according to Axios, all of them urged him to proceed with the agreement to end the war. Even US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, visiting India, spoke of progress on Iran, warning that "later today, tomorrow, or in a couple of days, we may have something to announce." The prospect of a diplomatic agreement worried Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who, according to the New York Times, was excluded from the negotiations, effectively moving from a "co-pilot" role to that of a "mere passenger" in the crisis. But Tehran, which during this month-long truce says it has reorganized its armed forces, seemed more cautious about the progress of the talks.
Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei made a cryptic statement: "We are both very close and very far from an agreement," he said , acknowledging that "the current momentum of negotiations is leading to a narrowing of differences," but specifying that "this does not mean we have reached full understanding on issues of such immense importance, but rather that we are moving toward a mutually acceptable solution based on a set of defined parameters." Baghaei explained that Tehran's goal now is "a 14-point memorandum of understanding (MoU), which includes the most critical issues needed to end the war, along with issues of fundamental importance to Iran." Once this preliminary MoU is finalized, a structured 30-60 day timetable will be established to negotiate the technical details before reaching a final, comprehensive agreement.
The Financial Times also reported that mediators between Iran and the United States believed they were close to an agreement to extend the ceasefire by 60 days and lay the groundwork for discussions on Iran's nuclear program. The agreement would include a gradual reopening of the Strait of Hormuz and a commitment to discuss how to dilute or hand over Iran's stockpile of highly enriched uranium. Al Arabiya reported that "Iran has offered to suspend uranium enrichment above 3.6% for 10 years (compared to the 15 years envisaged in the deal negotiated by Obama) and to dilute uranium enriched above 20% within the country; to open the Strait of Hormuz; and to temporarily suspend toll payments in exchange for compensation from Washington. It has asked that the issue of sanctions and frozen funds be discussed before any agreement is signed."
(Unioneonline)