U.S. and Iranian officials are negotiating a one-page memorandum of understanding meant to defuse the standoff in the Strait of Hormuz and open a 30-day window to work toward a more comprehensive nuclear agreement. Officials familiar with the talks say the draft on the table, from the Trump administration, would have Iran ease its control over the strait while the United States incrementally lifts a naval blockade of Iranian ports over the 30-day period.
Nothing is finalized. Negotiators from both sides have traded multiple draft versions in recent days, and U.S. officials are waiting for Iran’s responses on several points. Some nuclear-related terms are included in the memorandum, but most technical details are expected to be negotiated during the 30-day process. U.S. officials declined to describe the proposal as a take-it-or-leave-it offer. Axios first reported progress toward such a memorandum.
Key issues remain unresolved, including Iran’s demand to charge a transit toll for ships in the strait. The move toward a short-term memorandum marks a shift from earlier U.S. positions: officials previously rejected Iranian ideas that prioritized reopening shipping lanes while postponing nuclear questions. Explanations for the change include international pressure, concerns about the ceasefire’s stability, doubts about the viability of Operation Freedom, and signs that Iran might be moving closer to U.S. positions on some nuclear matters, raising hopes that gaps could be bridged in 30 days.
Major challenges persist. U.S. officials are uncertain whether Iran’s leadership is sufficiently unified to approve any deal. Removing the U.S. naval blockade would also ease a major source of economic pressure on Iran, and it would be difficult to reimpose comparable leverage quickly without more drastic steps.
On nuclear issues, two sources say Iran has indicated willingness to have its highly enriched uranium (HEU) excavated and transferred out of the country for down-blending. While the parties have not settled on the duration of an enrichment moratorium, both appear closer to a compromise that could suspend enrichment for at least 10 years. Any rollback of other economic restrictions—such as sanctions relief or access to frozen assets—would be gradual and conditioned on verification measures.