Three days is the rough timeline US officials told Axios for Iran to respond after President Donald Trump tightened terms on a proposed memorandum of understanding to end the nearly three-month US-Israel war with Iran, US media reported on May 31. The New York Times and Axios said the revisions harden language on nuclear material and were sent back to Tehran for consideration. Reuters and other outlets described an outline that would extend the existing ceasefire and seek to reopen the Strait of Hormuz while postponing detailed talks on Iran’s nuclear programme. Iran’s reply is the immediate milestone that will determine whether the White House advances to a final decision.

That hardening contrasts with earlier, looser proposals circulated by US and Pakistani intermediaries, which focused primarily on extending the ceasefire and addressing shipping in the Strait of Hormuz.

What changed in the draft

The New York Times and Axios reported that the revised framework tightens several points in a draft memorandum of understanding, notably provisions on what should happen to Iran’s nuclear material. Reuters described an outline that would keep the current truce in place and attempt to reopen the vital oil shipping route through the Strait of Hormuz, while postponing detailed negotiations over Iran’s nuclear programme.

Leaks reviewed by Reuters suggest the draft leaves several big questions unanswered: who controls the strait Down the road, the fate of Iran’s stockpile of near-weapons-grade enriched uranium, and the scope and timing of sanctions relief. Taken together, those gaps mean the framework is a big step toward peace if both sides accept it, but it doesn't meet the “unconditional surrender” of Iran’s nuclear infrastructure that Mr. Trump has demanded since the war began on February 28.

A White House official, speaking on condition of anonymity, told Reuters that negotiations were "proceeding nicely" and that the president had made his redlines clear. The official added, "President Trump will only make a good deal for the American people, which must ensure that Iran can never have a nuclear weapon."

Mastheads

Domestic pressure and regional calculations

Mr. Trump faces competing domestic and political pressures as he weighs the package. Reuters reported that the president is under domestic pressure to reopen the Strait of Hormuz and to help bring down US gasoline prices. At the same time, influential Republican hawks in Congress have warned against concessions to Tehran: Senators Lindsey Graham, Roger Wicker and Ted Cruz urged the president not to compromise, according to Reuters.

Laura Blumenfeld, a Middle East expert at Johns Hopkins University, told Reuters that Trump’s recent rhetorical reversals suggested he was "trying to park a wide war in a tight spot." That line captures the political tightrope the White House faces: a framework that reopens commerce through the strait and pauses violent confrontation, without delivering the complete dismantling of Iran’s nuclear infrastructure that some hawks demand.

On the Iranian side, Al Jazeera reported that the country’s Khatam al-Anbiya Central Headquarters reasserted Tehran’s control of the Strait of Hormuz and warned that foreign commercial and military vessels would be targeted if they didn't comply with Iranian regulations governing passage. Al Jazeera noted that roughly 20 percent of the world’s oil supply transits the strait.

Iranian media have also advanced a 14-point proposal, according to Al Jazeera, calling for guarantees against future attacks, the withdrawal of US forces from regional positions, release of frozen Iranian assets, lifting of sanctions, war reparations, an end to hostilities including in Lebanon, and a "new mechanism for the Strait of Hormuz." Those demands go beyond the ceasefire outline and, if insisted upon, would complicate any rapid agreement.

A senior US official speaking to Axios added a practical note about Tehran’s internal communications, saying the Iranian response could take days and quipping, "They’re literally in caves, and they’re not using email." Axios also quoted US contacts who said Washington was willing to wait for Tehran’s reply and hoped for progress "at the turn of the week."

Agence France-Presse reported that the proposal had been awaiting Mr. Trump’s sign-off, but that the president made no final decision after a White House Situation Room meeting on Friday. US contacts have told reporters there's no final presidential decision until Iran formally replies and the White House completes further internal review.

Officials and analysts caution that even if Tehran accepts the outline, the draft’s gaps on long-term control of the strait, the disposition of enriched uranium, and the schedule for sanctions relief will require extended follow-up talks. For now, the package represents a partial compromise: secure the immediate ceasefire and shipping lanes, defer the most difficult nuclear questions, and buy space for longer negotiations.

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Tehran’s reply, expected in roughly three days, is the immediate milestone. Only after that response will the White House undertake a final internal review and decide whether to convert the outline into a concluded agreement; if Tehran rejects it, the pause in fighting could unravel.

This article was created with AI assistance.