Boats anchored in the Strait of Hormuz.Credit…Reuters
The official said Iran had also agreed to dispose of highly enriched uranium, but stressed that a deal had not yet been signed. American and Iranian officials have described the terms differently.
Here’s the latest.
The United States and Iran have agreed in principle to a deal that would wind down the war in the Middle East by reopening the Strait of Hormuz with a commitment from Iran to dispose of its highly enriched uranium, a senior U.S. official told reporters on Sunday.
Iran’s leaders or official state media have not publicly commented on what is in any potential agreement or what is being discussed. Over the last 24 hours, Iranian and U.S. officials have offered some conflicting depictions of what a deal might contain. On Sunday, the U.S. official said a deal had not yet been signed and was still subject to final approval from President Trump and Iran’s supreme leader, which could take days.
As part of the peace talks, President Trump is encouraging other Arab nations to join the Abraham Accords, the U.S.-brokered normalization agreements between Israel and several Arab countries. The agreements date back to Trump’s first term, and his administration has tried to get more countries on board since he retook office. The prospect of expanding the accords — even unlikely as that may be — appears to be placating some who have crtiticized Trump over the developing peace deal.
Senator Lindsey Graham, Republican of South Carolina, has been among the most concerned Republican lawmakers about a deal, posting several warnings on social media in recent days. But in an interview with The New York Times on Sunday, he said if Trump can get Saudi Arabia and other Arab nations to normalize relations with Israel, “It will be historic and one of the most consequential agreements in history.”
“The whole goal has always been to isolate Iran,” he said.
Rubio says details on the Iran nuclear program are still to be negotiated.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the United States was prepared to enter “into very serious talks” about Iran’s nuclear program if Iran reopened the Strait of Hormuz, signaling that the Trump administration was prepared to accept an interim agreement that didn’t immediately take away Iran’s ability to make nuclear weapons.
“You can’t do a nuclear thing in 72 hours on the back of a napkin,” Mr. Rubio said in a brief interview Sunday during his visit to New Delhi. “The straits have to be immediately reopened, and then we will enter, under agreed-to parameters, into very serious talks about enrichment, about the highly enriched uranium and about their pledge to never have nuclear weapons.”
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel issued his first official statement about the potential deal between the United States and Iran, which has caused worry and consternation in Israel. He said that he spoke with Mr. Trump about what he called a memorandum of understanding to “reopen the Straits of Hormuz and the upcoming negotiations toward a final agreement on Iran’s nuclear program.” Mr. Netanyahu said both leaders agreed that any such accord must compel Iran to dismantle its nuclear sites and remove its enriched uranium, which could be used to make a nuclear weapon.
The United States and Iran have agreed in principle to reopen the Strait of Hormuz with a commitment from Iran to dispose of its highly enriched uranium, although exactly how and when that would happen is still up in the air, a U.S. official told reporters on Sunday.
The official said a formal deal has not yet been signed and is still subject to final approval from President Trump and Iran’s supreme leader, which could take days. The official said the U.S. believes the supreme leader, Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei, has endorsed the broad template of the plan, but there is not yet a specific document for him to sign.
The deal does not address Iran’s missile stockpile nor stipulate a moratorium on enrichment, a U.S. official told reporters. Those issues would be addressed in future negotiations, the official said. In previous rounds of negotiations, the U.S. has sought a 20-year commitment from Iran to suspend its nuclear program.
Senator Chris Van Hollen, Democrat of Maryland, labeled the possible peace deal with Iran a return “to the prewar status,” and criticized President Trump for hastily declaring last year that the U.S. had succeeded in “obliterating” Iranian nuclear capabilities. Though details of the possible peace deal remained murky, Van Hollen said that the agreement appeared to allow Iran to “have more control” of the Strait of Hormuz and “unfreeze some of Iran’s assets” in exchange for reopening of the crucial strait to shipping traffic. “When you are digging a hole, you should stop digging,” Van Hollen told Fox News.
Senator Cory Booker, Democrat of New Jersey, said on CNN on Sunday that President Trump was “being played as a fool” over the possible deal the Trump administration was attempting to work out with Iran. Booker said the U.S. let go of billions of dollars in negotiating a deal to get rid of Iran’s nuclear program, and that giving Iran more more money will enable them to “fuel their terrorist proxies.”
“He’s got us in a situation that’s worse than it was before,” Booker said, with “a more extreme regime.
NY Times
