The White House reportedly believes it is nearing a one-page memorandum of understanding with Iran aimed at permanently ending the war and laying out a framework for monthlong talks on the regime’s nuclear program.

The US expects a response from Tehran within the next 48 hours, according to a Wednesday Axios report, which cited two US officials and two additional sources briefed on the matter.

The MoU consists of 14 points and is being crafted by US President Donald Trump’s top envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, together with several Iranian officials.

The MoU will reportedly include a moratorium on nuclear enrichment by Iran and shipment of highly-enriched uranium stockpiles out of Iran in exchange for Washington lifting some of its sanctions on Tehran and releasing billions in the Islamic Republic’s frozen funds, in addition to both sides lifting restrictions around transit through the Strait of Hormuz.

Axios later reported that the document includes a clause stating that the deal “would end the war throughout the region, including in Lebanon.”

Such a clause would mark a significant shift, as the ceasefire reached last month with Iran did not extend to Lebanon, where Israel has been fighting against the Iran-backed terror group Hezbollah. Instead, a separate US-brokered truce was reached there between Israel and Lebanon, as both seek to keep the Lebanese front distinct from the Iranian file.

The plan would also declare an end to the war and trigger a 30-day negotiation period, in pursuit of more detailed agreements pertaining to the Strait of Hormuz, Iran’s nuclear program and US sanctions against the regime.

The US 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, Axios said. 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 UN.

This would also be a major departure from repeated US pledges not to accept a deal that allows Iran to enrich at all. Trump has also long pilloried the nuclear deal signed by former president Barack Obama, which allowed Tehran to continue enriching at 3.67%.

As the talks proceed, Iran and the US would gradually ease their operations in the Strait of Hormuz to allow shipping through the waterway and trade through Iranian ports, the report said.

But if negotiations collapse or fail to reach a deal, the US could restore the blockade or resume the war, according to a US official. The report cautioned that “nothing has been agreed yet,” but sources describe the current process as the closest the two sides have come to an agreement since the war started with joint American and Israeli airstrikes on February 28.

A Pakistani source involved in the mediation efforts confirmed the report to Reuters, saying, “We will close this very soon. We are getting close.”

Trump keeps pressure on Tehran

Trump signaled support for the proposal in a post on........

© The Times of Israel