WASHINGTON — Ahead of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s meeting with US President Donald Trump on Tuesday, mediators believed they were close to a breakthrough that would revive the memorandum of understanding signed by the US and Iran last month, an Arab official and a second source familiar with the matter told The Times of Israel.

However, the intermediaries were awaiting a final decision from Trump after his meeting with the Israeli leader.

Mediators from Pakistan, Egypt and Qatar have been discussing a proposal that would clarify disagreements regarding operations of the Strait of Hormuz, the two sources said on Monday night. Iran maintains that the MOU granted it a level of control over the strait, while the US has argued otherwise.

The proposal being advanced by the mediators aims to bridge those gaps so that the US and Iran can begin talks through the MOU, whose 60-day timeline is already set to expire next month.

Iran and Oman — which both are situated along the strait — have given a green light to the mediators’ proposal, and it now awaits approval from Trump, the two sources said, adding that the White House was holding off on making a decision until after the president’s meeting with Netanyahu.

Netanyahu is set to meet Trump on Tuesday at 11 a.m. local time (6 p.m. Israel time), more than five months after their last meeting. His schedule will also include attending a memorial service for the late........

© The Times of Israel