The United States and Iran reached a preliminary memorandum of understanding (MOU) on Thursday, agreeing to extend the ceasefire between the two countries for another 60 days and begin negotiations to permanently end the war, officials said.
Official US sources told Al Jazeera that the framework still requires final approval from President Donald Trump.
However, neither the US nor Iran have commented on the memorandum as tensions in the region continue.
Iran’s semi-official Tasnim news agency, citing sources close to the negotiating team, reported that the text of the MOU has not yet been finalized or confirmed and that the public will be notified once it is.
Here’s what we know so far about the memorandum, its terms, purpose, and meaning for the war.
What would the proposed agreement include?
The memorandum of understanding will include agreements on:
Strait of Hormuz
According to reports, the memorandum states that shipping through the Strait of Hormuz will be “unrestricted”, meaning there will be no tolls or “harassment”, and that Iran will have 30 days to clear all mines.
The ongoing US naval blockade of Iranian ports will also be lifted “in proportion to the resumption of commercial shipping” through the strait. The US will also waive many sanctions against Iran, allowing it to sell oil freely.
The issue over control of the strait has been a major sticking point in peace talks between the United States and Iran, which are being conducted primarily through Pakistani intermediaries.
Since early March, Iran has restricted shipping through the narrow waterway that connects the Gulf to the open ocean, through which 20% of the world’s oil and liquefied natural gas (LNG) supplies normally flow. Iran allows some ships from some countries to pass, but these vessels are required to negotiate passage with the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC), with some vessels paying tolls of up to $2 million each during the conflict.
In April, the United States similarly launched a naval blockade of Iranian ports, further disrupting global oil and gas supplies.
Iran has mentioned collecting transit fees for ships in previous proposals to end the war. Washington and other countries have repeatedly rejected this prospect.
Under international maritime law, countries whose territorial waters occupy natural straits such as Hormuz are not allowed to charge tolls. However, we may charge a fee for the “Service” to passing vessels.
Iran’s nuclear capabilities
The memorandum also reportedly includes Iran’s commitment not to strive to build nuclear weapons. During the first 60 days of the new agreement, the first topics to be discussed in peace talks will be Iran’s uranium enrichment program and how to dispose of Iran’s highly enriched uranium stocks.
The issue of enriched uranium is also a point of contention between the United States and Iran.
Iran is thought to have an estimated 440 kg (970 lb) of uranium enriched to 60%, which falls short of the 90% needed for weapons-grade material, but could reach 90% much sooner.
Iran’s government has long maintained that its nuclear program is for civilian purposes only and that it has no intention of building nuclear weapons. However, Israel, the United States and other Western countries insist that Iran is indeed preparing to have the ability to build nuclear weapons. They claim that the 60 percent enrichment levels achieved so far far exceed the enrichment levels (3 to 5 percent) required for civil nuclear energy programs.
The US wants the shares handed over, but Iran rejects the idea. However, they are reportedly willing to consider transferring it to a third party. Last week, it was reported that Iran’s Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei issued a directive that no Iranian enriched uranium should be sent outside the country.
Since the war against Iran began, it was revealed on February 26, during informal negotiations with the US in Geneva, two days before the US and Israel launched an attack on Iran, that Tehran had proposed to “down-blend” its stockpile from 60% to 3.67% enrichment in an irreversible process.
This was the level at which Iran was allowed to enrich uranium under the 2015 Obama-era Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) agreement reached with many countries and which took several years to negotiate. But President Trump withdrew the United States from that deal during his first term as president, even though international inspectors said Iran was sticking to this level.
aid and sanctions
The memorandum reportedly includes a mechanism for Iran to receive humanitarian aid. The United States also pledges to discuss sanctions relief and unfreezing Iranian assets abroad.
Iran is one of the most heavily sanctioned countries in the world and has been under US sanctions for decades. Some of these cancellations under the 2015 nuclear deal were reversed after President Trump withdrew from the landmark deal. As a result, billions of dollars in Iranian assets remain frozen in foreign banks.
Lebanon
According to media reports, Israel’s war against Lebanon, which occupies much of southern Lebanon, will end under the agreement.
Israel said it was attacking Iranian-backed Hezbollah positions. After the first US and Israeli attack on Tehran on February 28, Hezbollah began attacking northern Israel.
On March 2, Israel intensified its war against Lebanon, expanding its invasion and occupation of towns and villages in the south. Since then, Israel has killed more than 3,000 people, including emergency workers and civilians.
Despite President Trump’s announcement on April 16 to extend the April 8 ceasefire, Israel’s attacks on Lebanon continue.
How are diplomatic efforts progressing?
Pakistan’s Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar is scheduled to meet with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio in Washington DC on Friday to continue negotiations to end the war with Iran. Pakistan has been acting as a mediator between the parties, conveying each side’s proposals for a peace agreement.
This came days after an Iranian delegation led by senior government officials visited Qatar for negotiations.
However, despite these ongoing high-level talks, attacks from both sides have recently intensified.
Last week, the US military launched a series of attacks near the Strait of Hormuz. And on Thursday, the U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) announced it had shot down five Iranian attack drones and attacked a ground control base in the port city of Bandar Abbas, home to major Iranian naval forces. The United States described these attacks as “defensive.”
Iran’s attacks on U.S. assets and energy infrastructure in the Gulf region also continue.
Most recently, Kuwait’s military announced that warning sirens rang throughout the country early Thursday morning and that air defense forces had intercepted “hostile” missiles and drones.
What happens once the MOU is agreed?
The memorandum calls for a 60-day cessation of hostilities during which the United States and Iran negotiate on enriched uranium and other issues such as sanctions relief.
Axios cited U.S. officials as saying the Trump administration wants to discuss Iran’s support for regional proxies, including Hezbollah in Lebanon, the Houthis in Yemen, and numerous militant groups in Iraq and Syria. Officials did not provide further details.
