Iran says draft U.S. deal includes oil sanctions waiver, nuclear limits and asset release
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- Iran disclosed a final draft memorandum with the U.S. covering nuclear work, Strait of Hormuz access, oil sanctions waivers, and asset release, with a final deal to be negotiated within 60 days of initial agreement.
- Iran would immediately reopen the Strait of Hormuz to all commercial vessels, while the U.S. would lift its naval blockade on Iranian ports within 30 days of signing.
- The U.S. would waive oil sanctions on Iran for a specified period and release $25 billion in frozen Iranian assets, including via direct cash transfers, regional financial cooperation, and credit lines.
- The U.S. agreed not to impose new sanctions on Iran until a final deal is reached, and all U.S. and United Nations sanctions would be lifted per an agreed timetable following a final agreement.
- Iran would commit to neither producing nor acquiring nuclear weapons, maintain its current nuclear programme status, and refrain from further uranium enrichment pending a final deal.
- The U.S. would allow Iran to dilute its stockpile of highly enriched uranium on Iranian soil under a future comprehensive agreement, with nuclear programme details negotiated within 60 days.
Why it matters: The draft delivers Iran $25 billion in released assets and resumed oil revenue in exchange for nuclear concessions, but defers the hardest verification questions — uranium enrichment limits and stockpile handling — to a 60-day follow-up window that a former deal negotiator (per The Hill's headline) calls 'pretty short.' Allowing Iran to dilute its enriched uranium domestically rather than abroad preserves Iranian sovereignty over a key nuclear file.
