Reports: U.S. and Iran agree to a 30-day pause to reopen the Strait of Hormuz

President Donald Trump said on May 24 that the United States and Iran had “largely negotiated” a memorandum of understanding that would reopen the Strait of Hormuz, but public details remained incomplete and Iranian-linked outlets disputed parts of his account. Reuters and CNBC both reported that Trump described the arrangement as a first-phase framework rather than a final peace settlement. Axios, cited by multiple outlets on May 24, reported that the draft under discussion would pair a 60-day ceasefire extension with the reopening of the strait, sanctions waivers for Iranian oil sales and a new round of talks over Tehran’s nuclear program. The proposal, as described in those reports, would also require Iran to clear mines from the waterway and would leave the hardest nuclear issues for follow-on negotiations. (yahoo.com) ### What is actually being claimed in this reported deal? Trump wrote on social media that an agreement had been “largely negotiated,” subject to finalization among the United States, Iran and other countries involved in the diplomacy. CNBC reported that Iran’s foreign ministry also referred to a memorandum of understanding as a first phase before broader talks within 30 to 60 days. (axios.com) The draft terms described by Axios and repeated by Reuters-linked and other reports include no tolls for passage through the Strait of Hormuz, U.S. sanctions relief allowing Iranian oil exports, and negotiations over curbing Iran’s nuclear program during the ceasefire window. Reuters also reported that Pakistan was among the countries involved in the diplomacy around the framework. (cnbc.com) ### Why is the Strait of Hormuz at the center of this? The Strait of Hormuz is one of the world’s most important oil transit chokepoints, and the war has disrupted shipping and fueled concern over energy prices. CNBC said the conflict had choked global energy markets and pushed U.S. inflation higher, while other reports described the waterway as central to the economic fallout from the fighting. (axios.com) The draft described by Axios would reopen the strait during the ceasefire period and require Iran to remove mines it had deployed there. That detail matters because the reopening appears to be one of the clearest operational steps in the reported memorandum, even as broader political terms remain unsettled. ### Where do the main disputes still sit? (cnbc.com) Iran’s Fars news agency said Trump’s description of reopening the strait was “incomplete and inconsistent with reality,” according to CNBC and Reuters-linked reports. CNBC also reported that Fars said the latest exchanged text kept the strait under Iran’s management. Nuclear terms also appear unresolved. CNBC reported that Trump did not mention any final agreement on Iran’s nuclear program or its highly enriched uranium, and that Iran had sought to postpone nuclear talks until after a formal cessation of hostilities. (jpost.com) The Jerusalem Post, citing Axios, said the memorandum would call on Iran to cease pursuit of nuclear weapons, while issues involving enrichment and stockpiles would remain largely under negotiation. (cnbc.com) ### Where does the “30-day tactical pause” language come from? VonburyResearch wrote on X on May 24 that the reported memorandum would be a “30-day tactical pause at best,” arguing that Iran had not agreed to abandon nuclear enrichment and that core U.S. red lines remained. The post linked to a longer Substack analysis, but the characterization appears to be the account’s interpretation of the reported framework, not language used by Trump, Iran’s foreign ministry or Axios in the reports reviewed here. (cnbc.com) The reporting now in circulation points more often to a 30-to-60-day follow-on process or a 60-day ceasefire extension than to a confirmed 30-day pause. Reuters said the memorandum was being presented as an initial phase, and CNBC said broader talks were expected within 30 to 60 days. ### What should readers watch next? (nytimes.com) Trump said on May 24 that the “final aspects and details” were still being discussed and would be announced shortly. Until either Washington or Tehran releases the text of the memorandum or a formal joint statement, the most important next step is publication of the actual terms, especially on Hormuz access, sanctions waivers and the sequencing of nuclear talks. (cnbc.com) (yahoo.com)