Trump Announces US Nears Deal with Iran, Nuclear Issues and Missile Programs Still Pending

US President Trump announced this week that the United States and Iran have reached some kind of Memorandum of Understanding to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, with both sides close to a ceasefire agreement, but key details remain unclear, and the core disagreements between Washington and Tehran have not yet been resolved.

Trump posted on Truth Social that the Strait of Hormuz will resume navigation under the framework of some Memorandum of Understanding, but the specific content of the agreement has not yet been made public. According to sources from the United States and the Middle East, the disposal method of Iran's high enriched uranium stockpiles, future uranium enrichment rights, and the direction of missile programs have all been postponed to subsequent negotiations - and there are even discrepancies in the understanding of the contents of the Memorandum from different sources.

The agreement is not yet finalized, and the hawks have already fired the first shot. The Chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, Senator Roger Wicker, wrote on platform X before Trump announced that he was close to the agreement: "The rumored 60-day ceasefire, still hoping that Iran will negotiate in good faith, will be a disaster. All the results of 'Operation Wrath' will be in vain." Mike Pompeo, Trump's first Secretary of State, also expressed disdain in his post, which was then fiercely retorted by White House senior communications official Steven Zhang, the latter stating that he "should shut up his stupid mouth and leave the real work to professionals."

Will Iran agree to hand over about 900 pounds of near-weapon-grade enriched uranium or dilute it to a level that cannot be used for weapons? What will happen to the approximately 11 tons of uranium of varying enrichment levels recorded by the International Atomic Energy Agency? Will Iran be allowed to continue uranium enrichment in the future - Trump had previously told reporters that a 20-year suspension of enrichment was an acceptable proposal. In addition, the fate of Iran's missile arsenal remains uncertain, an issue that is particularly sensitive for Israel, which is within the range of Iran's ballistic missiles.

There is also a financial conundrum on the negotiation table, Iran demands the release of $2.5 billion in frozen assets, but Trump has strongly criticized the Obama administration's decision to release $1.7 billion to Iran in 2015 on several occasions. Whether he can make concessions on this issue is being closely watched by the market.

The Strait of Hormuz is a transit route for about one-fifth of the world's oil, and any change in its navigation status will directly affect the trend of international oil prices. At the same time, whether Iran will truly accept the terms of the agreement is still uncertain - some US and regional sources have indicated that there is a significant gap in the understanding of the contents of the Memorandum by both sides.

Eleven weeks ago, Trump loudly declared "no negotiations with Iran unless they unconditionally surrender," now the outline of the agreement is far more complicated than the initial tough stance.