Trump administration anticipates imminent agreement with Iran to reopen Strait of Hormuz
Trump declared the agreement practically closed by saying the details will be announced soon, although Iranian authorities denied the version of the immediate reopening
The administration of US President Donald Trump took it for granted on Sunday that within the coming days it will be able to announce an agreement with Iran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, a maritime route through which approximately 20% of the world’s oil flows and which has remained practically closed since the start of the US and Israeli offensive against the Islamic Republic on 28 February. Three months after the attack that killed Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei —replaced by his son Mojtaba— Washington and Tehran are negotiating a two-phase scheme that would ease pressure on the global economy without immediately resolving the underlying nuclear questions.
According to sources cited by US media, the agreement would contemplate the immediate reopening of the strait in exchange for an additional period of approximately sixty days for Tehran to define the details of its nuclear program, including a commitment to dispose of the enriched uranium in its possession, although without specifying timeframes or mechanisms. The effective suspension of the nuclear program and the fate of Iran’s missile arsenal would be deferred to a second stage of negotiations. Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei has reportedly given the green light to the general scheme, but operational details remain unresolved and the Iranian regime’s decision-making process takes time, according to White House sources cited by the Axios outlet.
The contradictory signals persist on both sides. On Saturday, Trump declared the agreement practically closed by saying the details will be announced soon, although Iranian authorities denied the version of the immediate reopening of the strait that same afternoon. On Sunday, the Republican president walked back expectations on his Truth Social network: I have informed my representatives not to rush to sign a deal where time is on our side. Secretary of State Marco Rubio summed up the official posture from New Delhi by arguing that you cannot close a nuclear deal in 72 hours on a napkin. Iran’s semi-official news agency Tasnim warned that pending issues such as frozen Iranian assets could derail the talks.
In recent days, Pakistani mediators have played a central role, led by Chief of Army Staff Asim Munir, received on Saturday in Tehran by Iranian President Masud Pezeshkián, alongside Arab leaders concerned about the regional consequences of the conflict. The military campaign has cost the United States at least USD 29 billion and has eroded Trump’s domestic support, particularly within the Republican base that opposed involvement in prolonged conflicts in the Middle East. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Washington’s main ally during the offensive, has shown discomfort with a pact that does not cover Israeli strategic priorities and that would leave Iran’s nuclear and military capabilities undismantled. Trump has less than six months until the November midterm elections, a calendar the White House considers incompatible with an indefinite extension of the war.