Will an Iran deal be reached? – U.S. military reports new attacks

However, such an agreement would initially serve only as a starting point for more in-depth negotiations. The most difficult sticking point: Iran’s nuclear program. According to reports from both countries, a solution to this issue is to be reached within 60 days.

But a new incident in the Strait of Hormuz shows just how difficult the situation remains. Early this morning, the U.S. military reported several more Iranian drone attacks on commercial ships in the strait in the Persian Gulf. “U.S. forces have shot them all down in the last few hours, while shipping traffic through the strait continues unimpeded,” the responsible U.S. regional command Centcom stated on X.

Iran’s Foreign Minister: Agreement Within Reach

According to U.S. President Donald Trump, the documents for an initial framework agreement are expected to be finalized shortly and may be signed as early as this weekend—possibly in Europe. However, a senior U.S. official made it clear on Friday that it is not yet certain whether this will actually happen. Most officials in Iran are in favor of an agreement, “but not all.”

Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi wrote on the platform X that a memorandum of understanding is within reach. “Until it is finalized, the media should refrain from speculating on its contents,” he added.

According to Trump, the planned agreement calls for the opening of the Strait of Hormuz, which is vital for global trade in oil, gas, and fertilizer. According to media reports, this step is to be completed within 30 days—and in return, according to Trump, the U.S. blockade of Iranian ports will be lifted.

Will Iran dismantle its nuclear program?

According to a senior U.S. official, the agreement is also intended to lead to the dismantling of Iran’s nuclear program—and for the United States to receive the enriched uranium that could otherwise theoretically be used to build nuclear weapons, as feared not only by the Israeli government. The material is to be rendered harmless on site and subsequently removed from the country, the U.S. official explained.

The political leadership of the Islamic Republic consistently asserts that it does not seek nuclear weapons. However, the Israeli government does not believe these assurances. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who faces re-election in four months, emphasized, according to his office, that as long as he is head of government, “Iran will not possess nuclear weapons. President Trump and I are in complete agreement on this issue.”

Deal would be a “bitter pill” for Netanyahu

According to media reports, Netanyahu was convinced from the outset that the war against arch-enemy Iran, launched by his country together with the U.S. on February 28, could trigger a change of power in Tehran. Now, his domestic political rivals would accuse him of turning Israel into a “vassal state” by accepting Trump’s peace terms, writes the U.S. news portal “Axios.” For Netanyahu, Trump’s agreement with Tehran would therefore be a “bitter pill,” the portal headlined.

One fear in Israel is that after signing the framework agreement and ending the war, Iran could simply drag out the negotiations without making any real concessions on the nuclear issue.

U.S. Sets Conditions for Economic Concessions

Frozen Iranian assets abroad could be released again—but, according to the U.S., only if Tehran has first provided concessions. With appropriate cooperation from Iran, sanctions could also be eased in the future, it was reported. The U.S. is also demanding that Iran cease its support for allied militias such as Hezbollah in Lebanon. According to the U.S., Iran has already agreed to stop financing terrorist groups in the region.

Iran, for its part, has made a ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah in Lebanon a priority, in addition to the release of its frozen foreign assets and the lifting of sanctions. It is unclear how monitoring of this ceasefire could be enshrined in the framework agreement.