The United States and Iran have signaled that they are moving closer to a deal to end the war in the Middle East. But neither country has released a copy of the possible deal and as of Sunday morning, it remained unclear exactly what they had agreed to — or if they had agreed to much at all.
In interviews, American and Iranian officials described basic elements of a deal differently. Notably, they portrayed discussions about the future of the nuclear program — and Iran’s existing stockpiles of highly enriched uranium — in starkly divergent terms.
Here are five of the main issues at stake, and the positions each side has revealed at this point.
1. Iran’s Nuclear Program
President Trump has repeatedly said Iran must give up its stockpile of highly enriched uranium, which the United States and Israel fear could be used to build a nuclear weapon. Iran has resisted.
One big question is what Iran would do with its existing stockpile of enriched uranium. It has about 970 pounds of uranium enriched to 60 percent, and also roughly 11 tons of other uranium that has been enriched at various levels, according to the International Atomic Energy Agency.
Another question is whether Iran could continue to enrich uranium in the future.
Two U.S. officials said the proposed agreement includes a commitment by Tehran to give up its stockpile of highly enriched uranium. The officials, who were not authorized to speak publicly, said the proposal defers questions about what would happen to that stockpile to a later round of negotiations.
But three senior Iranian officials said that nothing involving the nuclear stockpile had been agreed to.
Iran had originally balked at including any agreement on its highly enriched uranium in the initial phases of a deal. The three Iranian officials, also speaking anonymously, told The Times on Saturday that all nuclear matters would be negotiated within 30 to 60 days.
The future is uncertain, too. Mr. Trump told reporters this month that Washington would accept Iran’s suspension of enrichment for 20 years. Iran has proposed a shorter timeline.
2. Control of the Strait of Hormuz
Before the United States and Israel started the war against Iran on Feb. 28, the strait was open, and oil and gas shipments flowed freely through the vital waterway.
After the war started, Iran effectively closed the strait, causing a spike in energy prices worldwide. Later, the United States imposed a naval blockade on Iran’s ports. Now, Iran is trying to assert its control over the strait by charging for passage.
So one big question is whether Iran would open the strait to commerce permanently. Another is whether the United States would end its attempt to block Iran’s use of the waterway.
Iran’s effort to formalize, and monetize, its control over the waterway violates international shipping rules, analysts say. The rules hold that countries cannot charge for safe passage through international waterways.
The Iranian officials said that under the proposed deal, Iran would allow ships to pass through the strait without tolls — for now. But, in turn, the United States would have to lift its blockade.
The Americans agree that the strait would be open but have said nothing about lifting the blockade.
3. Frozen Iranian Assets
Iran wants to recover $25 billion in assets frozen in overseas accounts because of longstanding international sanctions.
The Iranians say the proposed deal would release $25 billion.
The Americans have not mentioned this.
Mr. Trump has criticized former President Barack Obama, even within the past few weeks, for releasing $1.7 billion in frozen Iranian assets in 2015 under the deal his administration negotiated that had suspended most of Iran’s nuclear activity. Mr. Trump pulled out of that deal in 2018.
4. Iran-Backed Proxies
Iran supports militias around the region. The most powerful among them is Hezbollah in Lebanon. Israel and Hezbollah have continued to clash in recent weeks despite a cease-fire in Lebanon.
The big question here is whether the proposed deal would halt the ongoing clashes. Another question is whether Iran would rein in its other regional proxies.
The Iranians say that under the proposed agreement, Tehran would stop the fighting on all fronts, including Lebanon.
The Americans have not mentioned Hezbollah or the proxies as being part of the proposal.
5. Iran’s Missiles
Israel and Gulf Arab states allied with Washington are in range of Iran’s ballistic missiles, so Iran’s missile stockpiles are a major issue, especially for Israel.
Early in the conflict, the Trump administration said Iran would have to give up its missiles or limit their range. But neither Iranian nor American officials mentioned missiles in initial reports of the deal.
Israel’s leaders would be disappointed with any deal that does not cover missiles. They had little to say on Sunday, and analysts said that near silence reflected their uncertainties and anxiety that this deal could fall far short of Israel’s aims.
An unresolved disagreement about missiles could sow the seeds for future conflict if Israel were to move to take out Iran’s missile capabilities on its own.
Amelia Nierenberg is a Times reporter covering international news from London.
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