US President Donald Trump announced Friday the lifting of the blockade on the Strait of Hormuz, claiming a deal with Iran to destroy buried nuclear materials. However, Iranian sources have dismissed these claims as a mixture of truth and lies, denying any agreement to dismantle their nuclear capabilities.
The announcement arrives amidst a volatile diplomatic standoff that has seen the world’s primary oil artery become a geopolitical chessboard. While the White House presents the move as a decisive victory, the reality on the ground is a fractured narrative of contradictory terms, missing billions in frozen assets, and aggressive threats toward regional mediators.
The Hormuz Deadlock and the Shipping Framework
The core of the current tension revolves around the restoration of maritime stability. According to Asharq Al-Awsat, Trump stated that ships trapped by what he termed an “incredible and unprecedented naval blockade” can now begin returning home.
The mechanics of this relief are fragile. A draft framework suggests that Iran will allow commercial shipping back to pre-war levels within one month. In exchange, the United States is expected to withdraw its military forces from the periphery of Iran and lift the naval blockade on Iranian ports.
This shift follows a brutal escalation in February, when a war broke out following a sharp spike in missile and drone exchanges between Iran and Israel. Pakistan stepped in as the primary mediator to prevent a total regional collapse, facilitating the indirect talks that led to the current, albeit disputed, memorandum.
However, Tehran remains cautious. Iranian officials have indicated they will not take any practical steps without a “concrete mechanism for verification.”
Nuclear Red Lines and the Dispute Over “Artificial Victory”
The most glaring contradiction lies in the nuclear terms. Trump claims that enriched material, which he says was buried deep underground following a US bomber attack 11 months ago, will be extracted and destroyed in coordination with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and Iran.
For more on this story, see Bericht: USA und Iran einigen sich, Zustimmung Trumps fehlt noch.
Tehran is not buying the narrative.
“Trump’s statements are a mixture of truth, lies, and an attempt to show an artificial victory… He claimed that Iran would dismantle or destroy its nuclear materials, and this was not mentioned in the memorandum of understanding.”
Beyond the nuclear stalemate, a financial rift has opened. While Trump asserted that no money would be exchanged until further notice, Iranian sources told Fars News that the US failed to mention a critical condition: the immediate payment of $12 billion in frozen Iranian funds.
The discrepancy suggests a dangerous gap between the public victory lap in Washington and the actual text of the Memorandum of Understanding. US officials have attempted to dampen the noise, insisting that the deal contains no “secret side agreements” regarding sanctions relief or the release of frozen funds, while emphasizing that Trump’s “red line” is the absolute prevention of Iran obtaining a nuclear weapon.
The Oman Escalation and Treasury Threats
While the US and Iran haggle over nuclear waste and frozen billions, the Sultanate of Oman has been dragged into the crossfire. In a jarring diplomatic turn, CNN Arabic reports that Trump threatened to “blow up” the Sultanate, a move followed by aggressive posturing from the US Treasury.
US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent warned that the United States would not tolerate any system of “transit fees” in the Strait of Hormuz. Bessent explicitly targeted Oman, stating that the Treasury would “firmly target” any entities involved in facilitating such fees.
This pressure campaign has pushed Tehran and Muscat closer. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi held a phone call with Omani Foreign Minister Badr Al Busaidi on Friday, the first such contact following the US threats.
“In a very fruitful call with Foreign Minister Badr Al Busaidi, I expressed Iran’s solidarity with Oman in the face of any threat.”
The Iranian Foreign Ministry has since condemned the US Treasury’s threats as an attempt to “blackmail an independent state” and a sign of “moral bankruptcy.”
The 60-Day Window for a Final Resolution
The current state of affairs is a fragile ceasefire rather than a settled peace. The draft framework is not yet finalized, and reports from the Tasnim News Agency indicate that the text has undergone several changes in recent days.
The timeline for a permanent resolution is tight. If a final agreement is reached within 60 days, the parties may seek a binding resolution from the UN Security Council to codify the terms.
- Maritime Control: Whether Iran will manage shipping in cooperation with Oman as proposed.
- Financial Settlement: The resolution of the $12 billion frozen funds dispute.
- Nuclear Verification: The establishment of a “concrete mechanism” to verify the status of enriched materials.
- Sanctions: The extent of the “some sanctions” that Reuters reports the US may lift.
The stakes extend far beyond the two primary combatants. With the US threatening mediators like Oman and Iran denying the core tenets of Trump’s announced victory, the “deal” currently exists more as a set of competing claims than a functional treaty. The next two months will determine if this is a genuine de-escalation or merely a pause before the next eruption.