Trump says Iran deal largely negotiated

President Donald Trump said on May 23 that a deal with Iran to end the current conflict had been “largely negotiated,” adding that final details would be announced shortly. Trump wrote on Truth Social that the agreement was subject to finalization among the United States, Iran and other countries involved. NBC News reported U.S. and Iranian officials were signaling progress even as a ceasefire remained fragile. The New York Times separately reported that Iranian officials described the talks as nearing an understanding. ### What exactly did Trump say was close? Trump said Saturday that “an Agreement has been largely negotiated, subject to finalization,” according to his Truth Social post as cited by NBC News. He also said the deal would include opening the Strait of Hormuz, a key shipping route that has been at the center of the confrontation. CNBC and other outlets reported that Trump described the remaining issues as final details rather than core terms. Politico reported that it was still unclear whether any agreement would include formal limits on Iran’s nuclear program. ### What are Iranian officials saying they accepted? Three senior Iranian officials told the New York Times that Tehran had agreed to “a memorandum of understanding” that would stop the fighting and reopen the Strait of Hormuz. The Times of Israel, citing that New York Times report, said the proposed arrangement would also release $25 billion in Iranian assets frozen overseas. Marco Rubio said there was a “chance” Iran could accept a deal as soon as May 23, according to a Times of Israel live update summarizing the negotiations. That same update said Tehran was finalizing a memorandum of understanding with the United States. ### Why are there already conflicting versions of the same deal? Iran’s Fars news agency said the Strait of Hormuz would remain under Iran’s management under the latest exchanged text, according to a Reuters-and-Times of Israel liveblog entry. Fars also called Trump’s characterization inconsistent with reality. The Times of Israel reported that those public differences emerged within hours of the New York Times account of Iranian officials backing a memorandum and reopening the waterway. That gap matters because the Strait of Hormuz has been one of the most disputed pieces of the talks. ### Where does Israel fit into the negotiations? Israeli officials were described by the Times of Israel as deeply concerned by the reported terms. The outlet said senior Republican senators called the emerging arrangement a “nightmare for Israel,” while another live update said Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was convening an urgent meeting on what was described as a “very bad” interim deal being weighed by Trump. The New York Times, as summarized by the Times of Israel, also reported that U.S. negotiators had almost completely excluded Israel from the talks. That report, if borne out in final terms, would likely shape the immediate reaction from Netanyahu’s government. ### Why is the Strait of Hormuz at the center of this? The Strait of Hormuz is the waterway both sides have treated as a central bargaining point in the conflict. Trump said reopening it would be part of the agreement, while Iranian media said any arrangement would still leave the strait under Tehran’s management. Earlier reporting from the Times of Israel described weeks of dispute over whether Iran would reopen the route while the United States maintained pressure around Iranian ports. That made access to the strait both an economic issue and a test of whether either side was prepared to formalize concessions. ### What happens next? Trump said on May 23 that the remaining aspects of the agreement were still being discussed and would be announced shortly. NBC News reported that officials on both sides were signaling progress, but described the ceasefire as fragile. The next concrete step is a public release of final terms by U.S. and Iranian officials, if the talks hold. Any announcement is likely to be judged first on whether it clearly addresses the Strait of Hormuz, the ceasefire terms and the role of other regional participants.