US-Iran peace deal progress slows over nuclear program, sanctions relief

Progress regarding a peace deal between the United States and Iran has slowed down as the sides have not been able to reach consensus on the future of Tehran’s nuclear program and sanctions relief, The Wall Street Journal wrote citing sources.

The article says that as first reports indicating that the deal is at hand emerged, Donald Trump’s hawkish fellow party members started to argue that the agreement will ease financial pressure on the Islamic Republic without effectively curtailing its nuclear program.

The US side is seeking clear nuclear guarantees from Tehran in advance, while Iran insists that Washingon be more precise regarding the sanctions relief process. The White House fears that once the sanctions are eased, Iran will begin delaying the solution of the nuclear issue, the newspaper wrote.

The report also says that Persian Gulf countries, including Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, insist that the freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz be clearly stated in the memorandum. The US is also under pressure from Israel, which wants a tougher deal entailing more severe obligations for Iran.

On May 23, the US president stated that the draft of the future agreement with Iran has been largely agreed upon. He noted that he had spoken by phone with the leaders of Bahrain, Egypt, Jordan, Qatar, the UAE, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, and Turkey and discussed with them a draft memorandum of understanding as part of a peace deal with Iran. However, Trump later clarified that Washington and Tehran had not yet reached a final agreement on several issues.