Iran War Live Updates: U.S.-Iran Peace Deal Nearer, But Could Take Days to Nail Down, U.S. Official Says

The official said the sides had agreed in principle to reopen the Strait of Hormuz and commit Iran to disposing of its highly enriched uranium, but stressed that a deal had not yet been signed. Share full articleImageBoats anchored in the Strait of Hormuz.Credit...Reuters See more of our coverage in your search results.Encuentra más de nuestra cobertura en los resultados de búsqueda. Add The New York Times on GoogleAgrega The New York Times en Google Latest PinnedTyler PagerAaron BoxermanFarnaz Fassihi and Julian Barnes Here’s the latest.The United States and Iran have agreed in principle to a deal that could wind down the war in the Middle East, but the final approval by leaders of both sides could take days, a senior U.S. official told reporters on Sunday. The deal would reopen the Strait of Hormuz and commit Iran to disposing of its highly enriched uranium, but how Tehran would do so was still being negotiated, said the U.S. official, who spoke anonymously because they were not authorized to speak publicly. President Trump has insisted that the United States seize the material as part of his vow to curb Iran’s nuclear program. Iran’s leaders and official state media have not publicly commented on what is in any potential agreement or what is being discussed. Officials from both countries have said any agreement would be an initial framework that would lead to further negotiations, rather than the last word. News of a possible deal came after a roller-coaster few weeks, with Mr. Trump at times threatening to restart attacks on Iran, and at others saying there was progress in last-ditch negotiations to stave off a return to full-scale war — all while offering few details. Then, on Saturday, the president announced on social media that the two countries had “largely negotiated” a memorandum of understanding “pertaining to PEACE.” On Sunday, however, he said he had ordered his negotiators “not to rush into a deal.” If a deal were certified, Mr. Trump said in his social media post on Sunday, the United States could end its blockade of Iranian ports, which it had used to pressure Tehran to reopen the strait. Over the last 24 hours, both American and Iranian officials have emphasized the concessions they hoped to secure. Three Iranian officials said on Saturday that a potential deal would stipulate only that nuclear matters would be negotiated within 30 to 60 days. Like the U.S. official, they spoke anonymously because they were not authorized to speak publicly. The possible deal does not address Iran’s supply of missiles, nor does it stipulate a moratorium on enrichment, the U.S. official said on Sunday. Those issues would be addressed in future negotiations, the official said. In previous rounds of negotiations, the United States has sought at least a 20-year commitment. For Mr. Trump, a deal with Iran could offer a path to ending the turmoil wrought by the war, which began in late February when the United States and Israel attacked Iran. The conflict has killed thousands, rattled global energy markets and been broadly unpopular among the American public. Congressional criticism: Senator Cory Booker, Democrat of New Jersey, said on CNN on Sunday that Mr. Trump was “being played as a fool” over the possible deal. Senator Roger Wicker, Republican of Mississippi and the chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, on Saturday called the emerging proposal “a disaster” and cast doubt on the notion that Iran would “ever engage in good faith.” Mr. Trump hit back in a post on social media on Sunday, saying any deal he struck would be a “a good and proper one.” Hezbollah’s chief calls for Lebanese to take to the streets against their government, drawing a rebuke from Rubio.ImageA building hit by an Israeli strike in Tyre, Lebanon, on Saturday.Credit...Daniel Berehulak/The New York TimesThe leader of Hezbollah, the Iranian-backed Lebanese militant group, on Sunday welcomed a possible deal between Iran and the United States to end their war. But he rejected direct talks between Israel and Lebanon and called for the Lebanese people to take to the streets. “We hope that a full agreement to cease hostilities will be reached and that this agreement will include us,” Hezbollah’s leader, Naim Qassem, said in a speech. At the same time, Mr. Qassem condemned the Lebanese government for participating in direct negotiations with Israel, brokered by the United States, to end the fighting in Lebanon. Those talks, he said, benefit only Israel. “The people have the right to take to the streets and bring down the government in confronting the American-Israeli project,” Mr. Qassem said. He also rejected the Lebanese government’s calls for Hezbollah to disarm as part of any peace agreement. The speech drew the ire of Secretary of State Marco Rubio. “The United States condemns in the strongest terms Hezbollah’s reckless call to overthrow Lebanon’s democratically elected government,” Mr. Rubio said in a statement on Sunday. Mr. Rubio said the Lebanese government “is working to deliver recovery, reconstruction, international assistance and a stable future for its citizens with the full support of the United States,” while “Hezbollah, by contrast, is actively trying to drag Lebanon back into chaos and destruction.” After the United States and Israel attacked Iran in late February, Hezbollah fired on Israel in solidarity with its patron. Since then, the conflict in Lebanon has killed more than 3,000 people and displaced hundreds of thousands. Fighting has continued despite a U.S.-brokered cease-fire that took effect last month. It is not yet clear whether any agreement between Iran and the United States will extend to the conflict between Israel and Hezbollah. Several Iranian officials, speaking on the condition of anonymity on Saturday, suggested that it would. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel said on Sunday that President Trump had “reaffirmed Israel’s right to defend itself against threats on every front, including Lebanon.” How any deal between Iran and the United States would address the fundamental issues in the conflict in Lebanon — among them the disarming of Hezbollah and the withdrawal of Israeli troops from the Lebanese border territory they now occupy — was unclear. In his speech, Mr. Qassem called on the Lebanese government to abandon its negotiations with Israel and to resist American demands that Hezbollah disarm. He also said that American sanctions will not weaken Hezbollah. The United States last week announced sanctions against Lebanese officials it said were affiliated with the militant group. It said they were “obstructing the peace process” and “impeding Hezbollah’s disarmament.” On Sunday, Mr. Rubio said the group’s “threats of violence and overthrow will not be allowed to succeed.” Oil prices fall on news of a possible Iran deal.Price of Brent crude oilHow much the international benchmark costs Notes: Data shows future contract prices for Brent crude oil. Gaps indicate nontrading hours. Data is delayed at least 15 minutes. American officials said on Sunday that the United States and Iran had agreed in principle to a peace deal that would reopen the Strait of Hormuz. But final approval of a deal could take days. While U.S. officials offered broad outlines of the deal, the details remain to be worked out. Notes: Data shows future contract prices for Brent crude oil. Gaps indicate nontrading hours. Data is delayed at least 15 minutes. The price of Brent crude, the global benchmark for oil, was about $99 a barrel, down almost 1.5 percent. West Texas Intermediate crude, the U.S. benchmark, was around $92 a barrel, down almost 5 percent. The relatively modest declines may be a sign that investors and analysts are waiting to see if a deal is finalized. They might also be mindful that it could be many months before shipping returns to normal in the Strait of Hormuz, the narrow waterway between Iran and Oman that is a vital trading route for oil and natural gas that normally carries as much as one-fifth of the world’s oil supply. Futures on the S&P 500 pointed to an increase of less than 1 percent when stocks resume trading in the United States on Tuesday.

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Original Source: NYTimes