US-Iran Deal Outline Emerges Amid Major Unresolved Questions

The outline of a potential US-Iran agreement is beginning to emerge, but major questions remain, from how the Strait of Hormuz would reopen to the future of Iran's nuclear program.

US President Donald Trump has repeatedly suggested a deal is close, saying an agreement was "largely negotiated", before adding on Sunday, local time, that negotiations were "proceeding in an orderly and constructive manner".

But Iran's semi-official Tasnim News Agency reported that key clauses of a possible agreement remained unresolved.

Here's what we know about the major sticking points.

How will Hormuz reopen?

One of the biggest unresolved issues is the future of the Strait of Hormuz, the critical shipping route for roughly a fifth of the world's oil trade.

Iran has effectively controlled the strait since the war began in late February, allowing only a trickle of vessels to pass through and triggering a worldwide energy crisis.

Mr Trump said on Saturday that "the Strait of Hormuz will be opened" as part of any agreement.

But Iranian media reports suggest Tehran is not prepared to relinquish oversight of the waterway after launching the Persian Gulf Strait Authority last week.

Fars News Agency, which is linked to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, reported that any deal would preserve Iran's management role in the strait, while Tasnim said the waterway would not return to its "pre-war situation".

Tasnim also reported that any US naval blockade on Iranian ports would need to be lifted within 30 days.

Even if a formal reopening were announced, shipping is unlikely to resume as usual, international bodies say.

Commercial operators will first need to be convinced that any ceasefire or agreement would be durable enough to safely allow tankers to transit the narrow passage.

There is also the potential issue of sea mines. Iran is believed to have laid mines in the strait during the conflict, raising fears of a lengthy and complex clearance operation.

The International Energy Agency (IEA) said in a report this month that it could take "several weeks" just for the US and allied naval forces to deploy sufficient mine-sweeping equipment to the region.

Until the waterway is declared safe, the IEA said insurers were likely to demand naval escorts and additional security measures, increasing costs and slowing global shipping traffic.

"Countries with port bottlenecks and minimal storage, such as Iraq, will take longer to return to pre-war shipping levels."

The International Monetary Fund also said in a report last month that "even in the best case, there will be no neat and clean return to the way things were".

What happens to Iran's nuclear program?

Another major point of contention is Iran's nuclear program.

Iranian foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei said nuclear issues were not part of the initial framework and would instead be dealt with in later negotiations.

But according to The New York Times, citing unnamed US officials, Washington wants Tehran to eventually surrender its stockpile of highly enriched uranium.

The report said the mechanics of that process would be discussed in a later phase of talks focused specifically on Iran's nuclear program.

Iranian media, however, strongly pushed back on suggestions that Tehran had made concessions.

The IRGC-affiliated Fars reported that Iran had made "no commitment" to hand over uranium stockpiles, dismantle nuclear facilities or permanently abandon the possibility of building a nuclear weapon.

Iran has 440.9 kilograms of uranium that is enriched up to 60 per cent purity, a short, technical step from weapons-grade levels of 90 per cent, according to the International Atomic Energy Agency.

Both Fars and Tasnim said nuclear negotiations would instead take place within 60 days of any preliminary understanding being signed.

Meanwhile, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has insisted any final agreement must completely eliminate Iran's nuclear capabilities.

"This means dismantling Iran's uranium enrichment facilities and removing enriched nuclear material from its territory," he said after speaking with Mr Trump on Saturday.

Will Iran get sanctions relief?

Sanctions relief remains another major hurdle.

Iran has long demanded access to billions of dollars in frozen assets held overseas under US sanctions.

Tasnim reported that Tehran wants at least some of those funds released immediately as part of any preliminary agreement.

According to the outlet, Iranian officials have insisted there can be "no agreement" unless a specified portion of frozen assets is made available in the first phase.

Iran is also reportedly seeking guarantees that blocked funds would continue to be released over time.

Tasnim described disagreements over sanctions and frozen assets as one of the main reasons a final agreement has not yet been reached.

Fars separately reported that the US could temporarily ease sanctions on Iran's oil, gas and petrochemical sectors during the negotiation period.

Does the deal include Lebanon?

Another unresolved issue is whether any agreement would extend beyond Iran to the wider regional conflict, particularly Lebanon.

Despite a US-brokered ceasefire, Israel has continued carrying out strikes in Lebanon, saying it is targeting Hezbollah.

Iran has repeatedly said that any ceasefire must apply across all fronts of the regional war.

Tasnim reported that an initial memorandum of understanding would include an end to fighting "on all fronts, including Lebanon", and that Israel would also be expected to halt operations there.

Mr Baqaei echoed that position, saying the immediate priority was "ending the war on all fronts, including Lebanon".

Whether the US or Israel is willing to accept those conditions remains unclear.