Mutual Hormuz reopening anchors US-Iran draft deal
Shafaq News- Washington/ Tehran
The upcoming US-Iran memorandum of understanding (MoU) would immediately reopen the Strait of Hormuz without tolls, extend the ceasefire for 60 days, and resume nuclear talks, Axios reported on Friday, despite new drone incidents near the strait.
According to the outlet, the draft provides for lifting the US blockade on Iran, along with a 60-day ceasefire extension that includes Lebanon.
It also includes an Iranian commitment not to acquire a nuclear weapon and to address its stockpile of highly enriched uranium. A US official told Axios that one option under discussion would reduce uranium enrichment inside Iran under UN inspector supervision, although any concrete nuclear steps would remain tied to a second, more detailed agreement “because of the file’s complexity.”
The MoU would also give Iran temporary sanctions exemptions allowing oil exports for 60 days, with broader relief expanding gradually if Tehran complies and shows “good faith” in later negotiations.
The fate of Iranian funds frozen abroad remains unresolved, however, as Tehran wants immediate access to part of the money once the agreement is signed, while Washington wants releases in stages linked to implementation.
Mediators reached the current text after talks between Qatar and Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, alongside continuing contacts with US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner. High-level Iranian officials have “approved the text,” but it still lacks final approval from top leadership, particularly Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei.
US President Donald Trump on Thursday claimed that the settlement was in its final stages and could be completed in the coming days.
Meanwhile, American forces shot down two Iranian attack drones that appeared to be targeting commercial ships crossing the Strait of Hormuz, a US official told Reuters. US Central Command on June 11 said the Strait of Hormuz remained open to commercial vessels and tankers, after Iran’s Khatam Al-Anbiya headquarters announced the waterway was closed to all ships and threatened to target traffic in response to US strikes on southern Iran.
