US-Iran negotiations may be about to reach a breakthrough

“It’s possible that we will have something to say today, tomorrow or in a few days,” US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on May 23, when mentioning negotiation efforts with Iran, and expressed hope that “good news” will soon be announced.

Iran’s Foreign Ministry also said that a draft agreement to end the Middle East conflict may be near.

“Our initial intention was to draft a memorandum of understanding, a kind of framework agreement with 14 articles,” said Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei. He hopes the two sides will agree on the details of the final agreement within the next 30-60 days.

Baqaei said the two sides are “tending to get closer”, although he noted that that does not necessarily mean the US and Iran will reach agreement on “important issues”.

According to him, the focus of the framework agreement being negotiated is to end “fighting on all fronts, including Lebanon”, as well as the US blockade campaign against Iranian seaports. This official added that provisions related to the Strait of Hormuz are also in the draft framework, but did not give details.

Iran has almost completely blocked this vital maritime route since the conflict broke out, seriously affecting the global energy market. Iran affirms that ships must be licensed by the country’s armed forces before passing through here.

“The Strait of Hormuz has nothing to do with the US. Iran and Oman need to determine a mechanism for this strait as coastal states,” Baqaei spokesman said.

He also said that the framework agreement has no details on the nuclear issue, even though this is a key sticking point between the two sides. This issue will be discussed separately in a later stage.

Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesman added that Iran’s long-standing request to ease sanctions was also included in the framework agreement, but this has not been discussed in detail because the nuclear issue is not currently discussed specifically.

Iranian National Assembly Chairman Mohammad Ghalibaf previously warned that Washington would face a tough reaction if it resumed the offensive campaign, after US media raised the possibility of the country launching an attack again and Iranian officials criticized the US side for making “excessive demands”.

“Our armed forces have rebuilt themselves during the ceasefire in such a way that if Mr. Trump takes another foolish action and restarts fighting, the United States will certainly suffer consequences even more bitter and devastating than on the first day of the conflict,” Mr. Ghalibaf said.

The Chairman of Iran’s National Assembly issued a warning after meeting Pakistani army chief Asim Munir in Tehran. Mr. Munir is currently a leader in efforts to mediate the Middle East conflict.

Fighting broke out on February 28 when the US and Israel attacked Iran, killing Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and many senior officials of the West Asian country. Iran responded by launching missiles and drones at targets across the region.

After the ceasefire took effect on April 8, the two sides held a round of dialogue but failed to reach an agreement. The US and Iran then exchanged proposals with each other through intermediaries to end the conflict.