Initial US-Iran agreement leaves many key issues to be negotiated

Trump has insisted the deal ensures that Iran will never buy, develop or produce a nuclear weapon. But text of the agreement falls short of that. Initial US-Iran agreement leaves many key issues to be negotiated Copyright current_year BBC. All rights reserved. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Read about our approach to external linking. Copyright current_year BBC. All rights reserved. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Read about our approach to external linking. Ships wait in the Gulf of Oman as the Strait of Hormuz has continued to block traffic The US-Iran memorandum of understanding announced on Wednesday amounts to a reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, and a deal to try to reach a final deal on almost everything else. President Donald Trump framed it as a major win for the US in a lengthy press conference at the G7 summit in France. But new details released by US officials in a call with reporters confirm both countries still have a long way to go to reach a comprehensive final peace agreement that achieves Trump's primary goal of stopping Iran from ever developing nuclear weapons. Trump has insisted the deal ensures that Iran will never buy, develop or produce a nuclear weapon. But the text of this agreement, which was read aloud by officials on the call, falls short of that. Instead, the ceasefire extension jumpstarts a high-stakes scramble over 60 days for the two adversaries to achieve a lasting nuclear pact. It took the Obama administration 20 months of negotiations to reach the original Iran nuclear deal in 2015. Can the Trump administration do that in just two months? For now, the text of the deal only commits Iran to "downblending" its stockpile of highly enriched uranium, under the supervision of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). A senior US official on Wednesday called it a "significant concession" by Iran. US President Donald Trump at the G7 podium. Brazil's First Lady Janja Lula da Silva, Brazil's President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, France's President Emmanuel Macron, French President's wife Brigitte Macron, US President Donald Trump, India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, European Commission President's husband Heiko von der Leyen, (2nd row From L) European Council President Antonio Costa, Japan's Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, wife of Switzerland's President Caroline Merotto, Switzerland's President Guy Parmelin, South Korea's President Lee Jae-myung, British Prime Minister's wife Victoria Starmer, Britain's Prime Minister Keir Starmer Canada's Prime Minister Mark Carney, British economist and Canadian Prime Minister's wife Diana Carney pose for a family photograph during a gala dinner as part of the G7 summit. US officials reveal details of Iran agreement as Trump says deal could be signed tomorrow But all of the technical details of how that might happen, and on what timeline, must still be ironed out in the 60-day period of negotiations that commence after the scheduled signing takes place on Friday. Trump has also said the US will not provide any money to Iran. This is a key issue for the president, who has been critical of the Obama administration's $1.7 billion payment to Iran in 2016. With an eye toward his legacy, Trump has been keen to frame his Iran deal as better than former President Barack Obama's, and has used the money issue as a way to argue he has taken a stronger stance against Tehran. But according to the text of this agreement, the US will work "with regional partners to develop a definitive mutually agreed plan with at least USD $300 billion" for Iran's reconstruction. A senior US official said the deal does not commit the US to paying Iran a single cent. But the actual language in the agreement is opaque, and appears to leave the door open for the US to eventually make some payments to Iran as part of a negotiated settlement to the war. That could be a major political problem for Trump and Vice-President JD Vance, who campaigned on a promise not to start new "forever wars." The anti-interventionist MAGA base may take issue with the arrangement, even if any eventual payoff to Iran doesn't come directly from the US. A poster in Tehran depicts the mouth of U.S. President Donald Trump, gagged by a blue ribbon in the shape of the Strait of Hormuz, on May 9, 2026 in Tehran, Iran Other key issues also get short shrift in the page-and-a-half deal. When the war started Trump said a top priority was preventing Iran from funding proxy groups in the region, like Hezbollah. That was a priority for Israel, as well, which joined the US in launching the war and has waged a separate conflict with the Iranian-backed militia group in Lebanon. The cessation of hostilities under this initial agreement extends to Hezbollah. But the group barely received any other mention in the deal, and it is unclear if Iran will be pressured to drop its support for the group and other regional proxies in the next round of talks. The text released on Wednesday also doesn't address Iran's missile program in detail, another issue that Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said was a priority at the start of the war. Whether the deal signed in Geneva this week leads to a final agreement is up in the air. The text gives both sides a 60-day deadline, but notes that this is open to an extension if necessary. That could suggest both countries aren't deeply optimistic that they can strike a more comprehensive agreement. At his G7 press conference, Trump himself sounded noncommittal about the prospects of a lasting peace with Iran. "If it doesn't get done in 60 days, it's all right," Trump said. "We go back to bombing." A woman holds an Iranian flag on a street in Tehran, Iran. Tehran selling deal with US as victory – but for Iranians it was necessity A US navy airman gives an F-35 fighter a signal to take off. He is wearing a yellow jacket and a helmet and is pointing towards the runway. The jet is armed with missiles and is painted grey. The image is imposed over a satellite photo of an airbase in Iran where damaged jets are highlighted. More than 50 Iranian military bases damaged in US strikes since start of war, satellite images show US officials have described the MoU as 'performance-based', with Iran benefitting as it complies. In fiery exchange, judge sentenced him to three life sentences plus 25 years to life on four other charges, all running consecutively. The Red Arrows have left their Lincolnshire base for a three-day journey across the Atlantic. They said proceedings against Lindsay and Craig Foreman had been marked by grave irregularities. The US Senate Intelligence Committee chair said Jay Clayton's hearing is "unfortunately postponed". Trump made the announcement during chat where he also vowed to protect India. Under its new president, Bolivia is re-establishing severed ties with the US to combat organised crime. Speaking on Tuesday, Trump said Israel's PM Benjamin Netanyahu needed "to be more responsible with respect to Lebanon".