While Iranian and Western media report that Tehran and Washington are nearing a memorandum of understanding, the details published by both sides reveal significant discrepancies regarding the content of this potential agreement.
The Etemad newspaper in Iran, quoting a media member of the Islamic Republic’s negotiating delegation, and the Axios website, quoting a mediating diplomat and a U.S. official, have published reports on the provisions of this understanding. However, these two narratives present major differences across several key areas.
In Etemad’s report, the understanding includes the “reopening of the Strait of Hormuz within 30 days under Iranian arrangements” and a gradual return to normal conditions. Axios, conversely, writes that the strait will open “immediately and without the collection of tolls by Iran,” and that only the volume of traffic will return to pre-war conditions within a 30-day window—a depiction that describes Iran’s role in managing the waterway as far more limited.
Etemad speaks of the “suspension of oil and petrochemical sanctions and full access for Iran to financial resources,” even pointing to the phased release of approximately $24 billion in frozen assets.
