US and Iran agree in principle to reopen Strait of Hormuz, says senior official

The United States and Iran have agreed in principle to a deal for winding down the war by reopening the Strait of Hormuz, a senior US official told reporters on Sunday. Even as American and Iranian officials describe the terms differently, the official said Iran had also agreed to dispose of highly enriched uranium but added that a deal had not yet been signed.

Neither the Iranian leadership nor its state media has publicly commented on the terms of a potential agreement or what is being discussed.

The US official said a deal had not yet been signed and was still subject to final approval from President Donald Trump and Iran’s supreme leader, which could take some days.

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Mechanism for Iran’s disposal of its enriched uranium being negotiated

The senior official said the mechanism by which Iran would dispose of its highly enriched uranium was still being negotiated. Trump has insisted that the US seize the material as part of his vow to curb Iran’s nuclear programme.

News of a probable deal came after a lot of back and forth between the two sides and with Trump threatening to restart attacks on Iran.

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On Saturday, the US president announced on social media that the two countries had “largely negotiated” a memorandum of understanding “pertaining to peace.”

However, on Sunday, Trump said he had ordered his negotiators “not to rush into a deal.”

‘US could end its blockade of Iranian ports’

Trump said in his social media post on Sunday that if a deal gets approved, the US could end its blockade of Iranian ports, which it had used to pressure Tehran to reopen the strait.

Over the last 24 hours, both the US and Iranian officials have been stressfully mentioning the concessions they hope to secure.

Three Iranian officials said on Saturday that the agreement would specify that the nuclear issue would be negotiated within 30 to 60 days.

Also Read: Iran says Hormuz traffic will return to pre-war levels within 30 days after deal

US and Iranian officials have said that any agreement would be an initial framework that would lead to further negotiations.

The conflict has killed thousands, rattled global energy markets and been broadly unpopular among the American public.

‘Iran will never have nuclear weapons,’ Netanyahu, Trump agree

The talk of a potential deal was received with concern in Israel. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Sunday that he and Trump remained united in their stance that Iran will never have nuclear weapons.

Three senior Iranian officials told The New York Times that it would halt the fighting on all fronts, including Lebanon.

Also Read: Iran’s president Pezeshkian says Iran ready to assure world it’s not seeking nuclear weapons

Senator Cory Booker, Democrat of New Jersey, said on CNN that President Trump was “being played as a fool” over the possible deal. Senator Roger Wicker, Republican of Mississippi, who is chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, called the emerging proposal “a disaster” and cast doubt on the notion that Iran would “ever engage in good faith.”