The U.S. and Iran have reached an agreement to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, according to media reports
25 May 12:14
Washington and Tehran have reached a “framework agreement” that calls for the opening of the Strait of Hormuz, a U.S. administration official told The New York Times, according to "Komersant Ukrainian".
The details of the agreement have not yet been finalized, and it remains unclear whether Iran will continue to exercise control over the strait in any form, including the collection of tolls for passage through the waterway. The parties have drafted a memorandum of understanding, a U.S. administration official confirmed to The Washington Post (WP). This draft, which still needs to be approved by the Iranian side, extends the ceasefire for 60 days so that the parties can work out a final agreement to completely end the war.
According to the source, the memorandum stipulates that Iran will immediately open the Strait of Hormuz and take measures to restore shipping to pre-war levels within 30 days. The proposal also stipulates that Iran, the U.S., and their allies will announce a cessation of hostilities on all fronts, including Lebanon. A well-informed Iranian official told the newspaper that the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz would be phased. According to him, in the first phase, the U.S. would unfreeze $12 billion in Tehran’s assets, work would begin on clearing mines from the strait, and the U.S. blockade of Iranian ports would be lifted.
At the same time, the American official emphasized that the U.S. blockade of Iran would “be eased proportionally” to the Iranian authorities’ opening of the strait. He described these agreements as the “trust but verify” principle “taken to the extreme.” Iran’s frozen assets, the official noted, will not be unfrozen until Iran begins to ship its stockpiles of highly enriched uranium. Iran “will receive nothing until it fulfills its obligations,” the official added. The issue of frozen assets and the lifting of sanctions will be decided based on Iran’s compliance with other provisions of the memorandum.
The day before, Tehran stated that Iran has a “legitimate right” to control the strait, according to official Iranian news agencies. At the same time, as a knowledgeable U.S. official told The New York Post, Iran’s Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei has approved the general outline of the agreement with the U.S. It assumes that Tehran “will open the strait in exchange for the lifting of the blockade and, in principle, agree to dispose of highly enriched uranium,” the source said.
On Sunday, U.S. President Donald Trump stated that negotiations with Tehran are proceeding “in an organized and constructive manner.” At the same time, according to the White House chief, he instructed the negotiating team to “not rush into an agreement.” The blockade of the strait will not be lifted until the agreement is signed, Trump noted.
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