The United States and Iran sought on May 24 to finalize an agreement to formally end the Middle East war after Donald Trump said a proposal that included opening the blockaded Strait of Hormuz was “largely negotiated.”
However, the U.S. president emphasized that the deal was still “subject to finalization,” while the New York Times reported that the two sides would only address thorny issues about Iran’s nuclear program after an initial pact was reached.
“An Agreement has been largely negotiated, subject to finalization between the United States of America, the Islamic Republic of Iran, and the various other Countries,” Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform.
“In addition to many other elements of the Agreement, the Strait of Hormuz will be opened,” he said, a development that would bring relief to global energy markets after a months-long Iranian blockade of the crucial thoroughfare for oil shipments.
Leaders from Middle Eastern countries including Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Egypt, Jordan and Bahrain, as well as representatives from Türkiye and Pakistan, joined a call with Trump to discuss the deal on May 23.
“I do think perhaps there is the possibility that in the next few hours the world will get some good news,” U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio told reporters in New Delhi on May 24.
Trump said a separate call with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu “went very well.” US-Israeli strikes on Iran on Feb. 28 sparked the war, with fighting persisting for weeks before a temporary ceasefire came into force in April.
The New York Times, citing unnamed American officials, reported that the details of an “apparent commitment” by Tehran to give up its stockpile of highly enriched uranium would be discussed after the initial agreement was struck.
The report said the current proposal does not define how exactly Tehran would relinquish its stocks of the fuel crucial for building nuclear weapons, a scenario that Washington has long said it will not accept in Iran.
Iranian officials have stressed that gaps between the sides persist and the dispute over the nuclear program would not be part of initial negotiations.
Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei earlier noted “a trend towards rapprochement” with Washington but said “it does not necessarily mean that we and the United States will reach an agreement on the important issues.”
“Our intention was first to draft a memorandum of understanding, a kind of framework agreement,” he said on state television.
Baqaei added that he hoped the details of a final agreement could be worked out “within a reasonable timeframe between 30 to 60 days” after the initial framework was complete.
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer welcomed “the progress towards an agreement” to end the Iran war.
