Axios: US And Iran Close To Deal To End War
- 6.05.2026, 14:47
This will be a one-page, 14-paragraph document.
The White House believes it is close to concluding a memorandum of understanding with Iran to end the armed conflict and lay the groundwork for more detailed talks on the nuclear program, Axios reported, citing two U.S. officials and two other people briefed on the situation. According to the publication, it will be a one-page 14-point document, with its contents now being discussed by special envoy Steve Whitkoff and Jared Kushner, Donald Trump's son-in-law, and several Iranian representatives - directly and through intermediaries.
The agreement, among other things, calls for Iran to impose a moratorium on uranium enrichment, while the US will agree to lift sanctions and unblock billions of dollars in frozen Iranian funds. At the same time, both sides will lift restrictions on shipping in the Strait of Hormuz. Many of the terms will be contingent on reaching a final agreement, leaving the possibility of renewed conflict, but sources said the sides have never been this close to an agreement since the conflict began.
They are indeed close to signing a one-page memorandum, a Pakistani negotiator confirmed to Reuters. "We will finalize it very soon. We are close to it," he said.
The U.S. expects Iran to respond on several key points in the next two days, according to Axios. For now, the memorandum calls for declaring an end to the war in the region and beginning 30-day talks on a detailed agreement to open the strait, curb Iran's nuclear program and lift U.S. sanctions. Those talks could take place in Islamabad or Geneva, two sources said.
Over that 30-day period, Iranian restrictions on shipping and the U.S. naval blockade would be gradually lifted, one U.S. official said.
An active negotiation is underway over the duration of a moratorium on uranium enrichment, with three sources saying it would be at least 12 years and one saying 15 years is a likely compromise. At the end of this period, Iran will be able to enrich uranium to a level of only 3.67%.
Iran has previously proposed a 5-year moratorium, while the US has insisted on 20 years.
Two Axios sources also said that Tehran would agree to remove its highly enriched uranium from the country, which it has so far refused to do, and to allow international inspections on its territory. The US, in turn, will commit to gradually lift sanctions against Iran and unblock its frozen funds.
But the Iranian leadership is divided and reaching a consensus among the various factions may not be easy, the White House believes. Some U.S. officials remain skeptical that even a tentative agreement can be reached, Axios notes.