A senior administration official detailed elements of a potential short-term agreement between the U.S. and Iran on Friday, which could lead to formal negotiations to end the conflict between the two countries.
The senior administration official, in a call with reporters Friday afternoon, said the deal: reopens the Strait of Hormuz and ends the U.S. naval blockage; “leads to the dismantling of the Iranian nuclear program;” “leads to the United States getting the enriched [nuclear] material” and that material being destroyed then removed from the country; and has “an inspection regime that makes sure that this is a long-term commitment and that it’s long-term enforceable.”
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That would completely blow up the deal made between then-President Barack Obama and Iran that President Trump blew up during his first term.
As part of the proposed deal, Iran would receive economic rewards if it meets its obligations, according to senior administration officials.
“If they comply, they’re going to be relieved of a lot of the economic pressures that they’ve been under for many, many years, so they do get reintegrated into the world economy,” said the administration official, who was not named.
The official denied that Iran would receive any sanctions or financial relief upfront, but confirmed that if Iran fulfills its obligations under the deal, it will be “rewarded economically.”
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The official would not comment on the scale of the economic relief, ABC News reported.
“The Iranians don’t get anything upon the signing of the MOU or upon the negotiation itself, what they get is that they get rewarded economically for complying with their obligations under the deal,” the officials said.
In addition, there is a 60-day window for further technical negotiations on the remaining points of contention, the official said, per the outlet.
The terms of any potential agreement remain the subject of intense debate, with U.S. and Iranian officials often offering sharply different accounts of what has been discussed and what each side is willing to accept.
Complicating matters further, American negotiators have had to navigate a fractured power structure within Iran, where various factions of the regime may not be fully aligned on the path forward.
President Donald Trump has spent months expressing optimism that a deal is within reach, even as the uneasy ceasefire has been punctuated by military strikes, escalating rhetoric, and periodic threats from both sides.
A senior administration official also said there is reason to believe Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei, has approved the framework of a potential agreement.
However, the official cautioned that U.S. officials have not independently confirmed that assessment and cannot say with certainty that final authorization has been granted, ABC News reported.
“Really, all we can take is the people, both on the civilian and military side, both of whom have attested that the supreme leader is comfortable with where we are in the negotiation,” the senior administration official said.
“Obviously, in their system, they can’t do anything without the sign-off of the supreme leader, ultimately,” the official continued.
The official added that most people who have been negotiating and have some semblance of authority within the Iranian system “want to sign this deal.”
But the official added not everyone on the Iranian side supports it, noting there are “internal fractures” that are “sort of working themselves out.”
“The Iranian hardliners, some of them want to kill the deal, but I think most of them actually want the deal, but they also want to message it to their internal audiences in a way that maximizes their upside and minimizes our upside,” the senior administration official said, per ABC News.
The official added that, best guess, there is an 80-85% chance the MOU will be signed in the near term.
That said, Iran’s Foreign Minister said Friday that a memorandum of understanding “has never been closer.”
This article may contain commentary which reflects the author’s opinion.
