Uncertainty persists over the US-Iran agreement, which speaks of US “obstruction”
teleSUR, May 25, 2026 —
While US media outlets reported on a “memorandum of understanding framework,” other sources cited persistent disagreements, red lines, and Iran’s distrust of the US.
US media reported on Sunday that the United States and Iran had reached a memorandum in principle that would include the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, while Donald Trump, who on Saturday spoke of a deal “virtually finalized”, said on Sunday that he had asked his representatives “not to rush into closing a deal”.
From Tehran, there was talk of “US obstruction.” According to the Tasnim news agency, citing official sources, despite some talks that took place on Sunday, US inflexibility persists on certain clauses of the agreement, including the issue of releasing Iran’s frozen assets.
Issues such as the issue of assets have not been resolved, sources told Tasnim, noting that therefore a possible agreement may not be reached. The agency added that Iran has emphasized it will not back down on its red lines.
Tasnim noted, citing an informed source, that although the Americans have systematically obstructed negotiations and changed their positions, Iran has made it clear that no agreement will be reached without the release of a specific portion of its frozen assets as a first step and a clear mechanism for the guaranteed release of all frozen assets.
The source indicated that the matter has been communicated to the Pakistani mediator and several West Asian countries involved in the mediation efforts.
Reporting that both sides reached an agreement in principle, The New York Times said that, with regard to the Strait of Hormuz, it is unclear whether the memorandum would imply that Iran would maintain control over the strait, and that it is unknown when the transit of ships through that waterway will return to normal.
The Washington Post , also citing a US official, reported that the United States and Iran had developed a “memorandum of understanding framework”.
According to that version, after a possible signing, Tehran would reopen the Strait of Hormuz and take measures to ensure that maritime traffic returns to pre-war normality within 30 days.
READ ALSO:The Trump administration is reportedly reaching the limit of sanctions against Iran.
Furthermore, this memorandum of understanding framework would extend the ceasefire by 60 days and propose a final agreement to end the war in Iran, according to The Washington Post , which specified that no document has been signed.
The newspaper also said that the proposal awaits Iranian approval and includes the immediate reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, the restoration of traffic within 30 days, the end of military operations on all fronts, including Lebanon, and nuclear commitments, which would involve Iran reaffirming that it will not develop nuclear weapons and eliminating enriched uranium by a method agreed upon in subsequent negotiations.
Other media outlets, such as Al Jazeera, reported that less than 24 hours after Trump proclaimed that a Washington-Tehran agreement was “largely negotiated,” Iranian officials cited signs of US withdrawal on two key issues: the mechanism for unfreezing Iranian assets and the scope of a ceasefire in Lebanon.
Similarly, significant disagreements would persist over the control and management of the Strait of Hormuz, which Tehran emphasizes is an Iranian-Omani issue.
READ ALSO: Iran’s representative to the UN denounces support for the US from other countries in the region.
Regarding Iran’s nuclear program, Washington and Tel Aviv have thus far sought its destruction and, ultimately, its cessation. Tehran, in contrast, a signatory to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, has emphasized that it is not seeking a nuclear weapon and that its program is peaceful, and has defended its right to continue it.
According to Al Jazeera, Israel is pressuring Washington to include language in a memorandum that would allow it to carry out military operations in Lebanon under the justification of responding to “any threat.”
While Fox News reported that a potential agreement was “95% complete,” Trump claimed on Sunday that he had told his negotiators “not to rush into a deal.” The president also stated that the U.S. naval blockade of Iran “will remain in full force until an agreement is reached, certified, and signed.”
On Saturday, while still saying that an agreement was close to being finalized, he did not cease his threats against the Persian nation and stated that there was a “50/50” chance of reaching an agreement with Iran or, on the contrary, of “blowing them up” by resuming the war.
In a context where statements about an imminent agreement are mixed with threats of war if one is not reached, Tasnim reported that, although there are indications pointing to a possible announcement of a preliminary memorandum of understanding (MoU) between Iran and the United States, the Persian nation is also prepared for the possibility that the talks may fail at this stage.
“The Iranian Armed Forces, taking into account the history of warmongering and crimes by the US government and the possibility of any hostile action by both it and the Zionist regime, always remain on high alert regardless of the state of the negotiations,” the agency said.
Iranian media reported that the commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), Brigadier General Ahmad Vahidi, warned that any further acts of aggression against Iran would trigger a “devastating and hellish” response that would extend throughout the region and beyond.
In a message on Sunday to commemorate the 44th anniversary of the liberation of the strategic port city of Khorramshahr from Iraqi forces in the 1980s war, Vahidi referred to the recent US-Israeli war of aggression as the “third imposed war” and stressed that the Iranian nation has once again emerged victorious against the “terrorist attack of the Zionist-American enemy.”
After asserting that Iran’s Armed Forces are currently at the “highest level of readiness and active deterrence in the missile, air, naval, land, space and cybersecurity domains,” he warned that “any new aggression by the enemy will be met with a devastating and hellish response on a regional and transregional scale.”