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President Donald Trump announced on May 5 that the United States will be pausing the operation it launched just one day earlier to assist vessels stuck in the Strait of Hormuz due to progress made in talks toward a permanent ceasefire with Iran.
The operation, codenamed “Project Freedom,” triggered a fierce response from the Islamic Republic, which opened fire at U.S. warships, targeted several commercial vessels, and renewed strikes on the United Arab Emirates.
“Based on the request of Pakistan and other Countries, the tremendous Military Success that we have had during the Campaign against the Country of Iran and, additionally, the fact that Great Progress has been made toward a Complete and Final Agreement with Representatives of Iran, we have mutually agreed that, while the Blockade will remain in full force and effect, Project Freedom (The Movement of Ships through the Strait of Hormuz) will be paused for a short period of time to see whether or not the Agreement can be finalized and signed,” Trump wrote on Truth Social.
The very next day, the progress Trump talked about became clear, with Axios reporting that the U.S. believes that it is nearing a one-page memorandum of understanding with Iran to end the war and lay out a framework for talks on the regime’s nuclear program.
The Trump administration expects a response from the Islamic Republic within the next 48 hours, according to the news website.
It said that the proposal consists of 14 points, and is being crafted by Trump’s Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff and the president’s aide and son-in-law Jared Kushner, in collaboration with several Iranian officials.
The plan would reportedly declare an end to the war and trigger a 30-day negotiation period, in pursuit of an agreement to open the Strait of Hormuz, limit Iran’s nuclear program, and lift U.S. sanctions on the Islamic Republic.
According to Axios, the U.S. is seeking a moratorium on all uranium enrichment by Iran for at least 12 years, with a provision that would extend the moratorium if Iran were found to have violated it.
At the end of the negotiated period, the Islamic Republic would be allowed to enrich to the low, civilian-use level of 3.67%, while committing never to seek a nuclear weapon and to submit to enhanced inspections, including snap inspections by the United Nations.
Axios reported, citing “two sources with knowledge,” that Iran would agree to remove its existing stockpile of highly enriched uranium, with negotiators floating moving the material to the U.S.
So long as the talks proceed, the U.S. and Iran would gradually ease their operations in the Strait of Hormuz, to allow shipping through the waterway — a choke point for around 20 percent of global oil and liquefied natural gas
But if negotiations collapse or fail to reach a deal, the U.S. could restore the blockade or resume the war, according to an American official.
The report cautions that “nothing has been agreed yet,” but the sources describe the current process as the closest the two sides have come to an agreement since the start of the American-Israeli war on the Islamic Republic on February 28.
Axios’ report was later confirmed by Reuters. A Pakistani source told the news agency that the U.S. and Iran are indeed closing in on a one-page memo to end the war.
“We will close this very soon. We are getting close,” the source said.
The deal would be a major win for Iran, and more of a ramp off for the Trump administration. Israel would emerge as the biggest loser, which is why it could attempt to sabotage it. Nothing is guaranteed yet, and the U.S. could be just maneuvering to surprise Iran with another attack.
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