Trump-Iran Draft Deal Explained: Ceasefire Extension, Strait of Hormuz Reopening and Uranium Disposal on the Table | Today’s news
The draft agreement between the United States and Iran proposes a 60-day extension of the ceasefire, the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz and commitments aimed at preventing Iran from developing nuclear weapons, according to regional officials familiar with the ongoing diplomacy.
The proposal, reported by CBS News, comes at a time of intensified back-channel negotiations as the administration of US President Donald Trump seeks to avoid renewed military escalation in the Middle East.
What’s in the proposed Trump-Iran deal?
According to two regional officials cited by the news outlet, the draft memorandum of understanding contains several main provisions:
– 60-day extension of the current ceasefire
-Immediate reopening of the Strait of Hormuz by Iran
-Restoration of maritime transport to pre-war conditions within 30 days
– Iran’s pledge not to develop nuclear weapons
– Liquidation of Iran’s stockpile of enriched uranium based on a mutually agreed mechanism
-End of military operations “on all fronts”, including Lebanon
-Future discussions on sanctions relief and freezing of Iranian assets tied to compliance
A senior US administration official confirmed several elements of the proposal, including discussions on the Strait of Hormuz and uranium disposal, according to the report, although not all of the reported provisions have been publicly verified.
The Strait of Hormuz reopens the key state
One of the central elements of the draft deal is Iran’s commitment to immediately reopen the Strait of Hormuz, one of the world’s most strategically important oil shipping routes.
The proposal reportedly states that Iran will take steps to ensure that maritime traffic returns to normal within 30 days.
However, officials reportedly acknowledged that it may take longer to restore trust among global shipping companies even if hostilities end immediately. Concerns about possible sea mines and wider regional security risks reportedly remain.
Iran’s uranium disposal plan is still unclear
The main outstanding issue concerns how Iran’s stockpile of enriched uranium would be disposed of and how compliance would be verified.
Under the proposal, the two sides would have to agree on a liquidation mechanism, although officials have reportedly not finalized the technical or monitoring details.
The proposal also includes Iran reaffirming that it will “never develop nuclear weapons,” a long-standing demand of Washington and its allies.
Iran has not yet agreed to all the terms
While negotiations continue, Iran has not formally accepted all the terms in the proposed framework.
Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei said on Monday that some issues remain unresolved.
“Some issues … we haven’t solved yet,” Baqaei said.
He added that the current talks are primarily aimed at ending the conflict, while detailed negotiations on nuclear issues could take place later during the proposed 60-day diplomatic window.
Baqaei also criticized what he described as inconsistent reports from Washington.
“Frequent changes of position and contradictions … show the kind of situation we are dealing with,” he said.
Trump says peace deal ‘largely negotiated’
After talks with Middle East leaders over the weekend, Trump said a potential peace deal with Iran had been “largely negotiated,” although final details remained up for negotiation.
On Monday morning, Trump posted on Truth Social: “Negotiations with the Islamic Republic of Iran are proceeding well!
He added: “It’s just going to be a great deal for all or no deal – back to the battlefront and shooting, but bigger and stronger than ever.”
The US attacks Iran’s missile bases as a fragile truce faces new tensions
Meanwhile, U.S. forces on Monday struck missile sites in southern Iran and targeted boats allegedly trying to lay naval mines, according to U.S. Central Command, raising fresh concerns about the future of a fragile ceasefire and ongoing negotiations to end the Middle East conflict.
The strikes came as Iranian negotiators arrived in Doha for another round of diplomacy and as tensions escalated between Israel and the Iran-backed Hezbollah group in southern Lebanon.
The U.S. says the attacks were “self-defense” actions.
U.S. Central Command spokesman Tim Hawkins said in a statement that U.S. forces acted to protect troops from perceived Iranian threats.
“U.S. forces today conducted self-defense strikes in southern Iran to protect our troops from threats posed by Iranian forces,” Hawkins said.
The military did not release details of the operations, but said the targets included missile launchers and boats trying to “plant mines”.
Iran’s state broadcaster IRIB later reported explosions near Bandar Abbas around midnight local time, although authorities reportedly said the situation remained under control and investigations were ongoing.
Marco Rubio says talks are still ongoing
Despite the strikes, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said diplomatic efforts were ongoing and suggested a deal remained possible.
During a visit to India, Rubio told reporters, “There were some talks in Qatar today, so we’ll see if we can make progress.”
He added: “I think there’s a lot of back and forth in the original document about the specific language, so it’s going to take a few days.”
Rubio also issued a stark warning about the Strait of Hormuz, a critical shipping route cut off during the conflict.
“The strait will be open one way or another,” Rubio said.
“What’s happening there is illegal, it’s illegal, it’s unsustainable for the world, it’s unacceptable.”
Oil markets react to renewed tensions
Global oil markets reacted sharply to the latest military developments.
Prices fluctuated on Tuesday (May 26) on fears that the strikes could undermine talks to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, a key global energy corridor that has faced disruption during the conflict.
West Texas Intermediate crude reportedly fell more than five percent at one stage, while Brent crude prices remained elevated.
The ceasefire, which began on April 8, raised hopes of stabilizing energy supplies after months of severe disruptions.
Read also | Iran, US ‘moving closer’ to deal? What do we know about the negotiations so far?
Trump outlines demand for uranium disposal
Meanwhile, Trump said Iran should hand over its stockpile of enriched uranium to the United States for destruction, or agree to destroy it under international supervision.
Trump stated on Truth Social: “Nuclear fuel will either be immediately handed over to the United States to be brought home and destroyed, or preferably … destroyed on site.”
He added that the trial should take place with an international witness to oversee the destruction.
It remains unclear whether the proposal forms part of a wider draft agreement currently under discussion.
Trump is pushing for a broader expansion of the Abraham Accord
Trump also said several Middle Eastern countries should be asked to join the Abraham Accords as part of any final peace deal with Iran.
He named Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Pakistan, Egypt, Turkey, Bahrain and Jordan as countries he believes should join the brokered deals in 2020.
Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates have already normalized relations with Israel, along with Morocco and Sudan, based on agreements.
However, several Gulf states have argued that normalization with Israel depends on progress towards the creation of a Palestinian state.
Israel intensifies operations against Hezbollah
At the same time, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu pledged to intensify military operations against Hezbollah following drone attacks on Israeli forces.
Netanyahu said he had ordered an “even greater acceleration” of Israel’s offensive in Lebanon.
He also insisted that any final deal with Iran “must completely eliminate the nuclear threat,” matching Washington’s position.
Read also | Netanyahu says Israel has little influence on Trump on Iran talks: Report
