“The U.S. and Iran are within reach of an agreement to wind down the war, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent told reporters Thursday, but President Trump has yet to sign off on it, and the White House wants a deal that satisfies several key conditions.
“We perhaps have the makings of a deal here,” Bessent said from the White House, noting both sides have been swapping proposals. “Everything depends on what the president wants to do, and President Trump is not going to make a bad deal.”
Bessent said Iran must agree to dispose of its highly enriched uranium, commit to never seek a nuclear weapon and fully reopen the Strait of Hormuz—elements U.S. officials previously said would be in the so-called memorandum of understanding.”
“The statement came after a U.S. official said the two countries were closing in on a 60-day agreement, including a mutual unwinding of blocks in the strait over the first 30 days. Axios reported earlier on the details.
If clinched, the agreement would be the first phase of a multipart framework the U.S. hopes will end with Iran strictly curtailing its nuclear program for decades, including disposing of its stockpile of highly enriched uranium. It almost certainly would force the Trump administration to step back from some of its war aims, even as the U.S. and Iran continue to negotiate for another two months or more.
Iranian officials signaled that a final text of the agreement wasn’t ready, according to the semiofficial Tasnim news agency on Thursday. They said Iran would announce a deal was achieved via Pakistan, the framework’s main mediator.
Among Tehran’s demands have been the unfreezing of assets held abroad under U.S. sanctions, continued Iranian control of how the strait is managed, including whether some kind of fees would eventually be charged to vessels passing through. Iran also wants the end of the conflict to include a durable ceasefire in Lebanon.
Excerpt From
“U.S. and Iran Have ‘Makings of a Deal,’ Bessent Says”
The Wall Street Journal
Source:
U.S. and Iran Have ‘Makings of a Deal,’ Bessent Says — The Wall Street Journal
Source:
U.S. and Iran Have ‘Makings of a Deal,’ Bessent Says — The Wall Street Journal
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