An emerging agreement between the United States and Iran that would dismantle Tehran’s nuclear program and establish a broader regional security framework is close but not yet finalized, a senior U.S. administration official said Friday, describing the proposal as one that would “guarantee a long-term peace in the region” if Tehran upholds its commitments.
The official said Washington is “very close” to reaching a deal with Tehran and expects an agreement could be signed within days, although internal divisions within Iran’s leadership remain an obstacle. The administration’s confidence that the deal will ultimately be completed is roughly 80% to 85%, the official said.
According to the official, the agreement would require Iran to dismantle its nuclear program, surrender its stockpile of highly enriched uranium for destruction and removal from the country and submit to a long-term inspection regime designed to verify compliance.
The framework under discussion would also reopen the Strait of Hormuz, which Iran had closed, and end the U.S. naval blockade of Iranian ports, two of the most contentious issues in the negotiations.
Technical details concerning the destruction of Iran’s nuclear material and the future status of civilian nuclear facilities would be negotiated during a subsequent implementation phase.
“It’s going to take a little bit of time to figure it out,” the official said. “This is very combustible stuff, very volatile stuff.”
The official described the proposed arrangement as a broad regional agreement encompassing Israel, Lebanon and Gulf states, and said the administration is “quite confident” that all U.S. allies “will get on board” despite concerns expressed by Israeli officials.
Israeli leaders have reacted skeptically to previously reported terms of the deal, particularly provisions involving sanctions relief and Iran’s reintegration into the global economy.
The official stressed that the agreement would not limit Israel’s right to self-defense if Iran or its proxies violate the accord.
“If Hezbollah is firing rockets at Israel, and you know Iran is paying for missiles that are getting launched into Israel, then obviously they haven’t kept their end of the bargain,” the official said.
Sanctions relief tied to compliance
Under the proposed framework, Iran would receive sanctions relief, access to frozen assets and broader economic benefits only after fulfilling specific obligations. No economic incentives would be granted upon signing a memorandum of understanding, the official said.
Those benefits are built through a generic framework, the official said, and would “only accrue if they actually deliver,” with nothing delivered at the signing of a memorandum of understanding, which would initiate an immediate ceasefire and a 60-day window for negotiations on Iran’s nuclear program.
“If they turn over the nuclear material as promised, they’ll get something. If they dismantle their nuclear programs or their nuclear facilities, they’ll get something else. If they really commit to regional peace and stability, they’ll get additional things on top of that,” the official said.
The official added that the agreement would mean “the Iranians are no longer funding violence in the region, but it also means that everyone is respecting the territorial sovereignty of Iran.”
Iran, meanwhile, would be relieved of “a lot of the economic pressures that they’ve been under for many, many years” and “rewarded for acting like a normal country rather than the largest state sponsor of terrorism.”
Despite recent progress, significant details remain unresolved. The official said negotiators only recently bridged differences over reopening the strait and language governing the destruction and disposal of Iran’s enriched uranium stockpile, bringing a final agreement within reach.
Iranian state media has reported substantially different terms for the proposed deal, particularly regarding sanctions relief and nuclear restrictions. The official dismissed those discrepancies as largely aimed at domestic audiences, as both sides seek to build support for any eventual agreement.
