US officials work to quickly publicize Iran deal

American negotiators are working to quickly release the text of the agreement between Washington and Tehran, even while downplaying the importance of specific language in the document, American officials told CNN.

Officials described the text of the agreement as incredibly vague, with the main aim of creating a more favorable environment for the highly technical, face-to-face negotiations that will follow. They added that the framework aims to give Iran the ability to sell it politically to its domestic audience.

In addition, officials said the text of the memorandum of understanding, which US Vice President JD Vance told CNN on Monday (15) was a page and a half long, did not reflect important commitments made by Iran in informal talks with the US, which they said gave the country more confidence in signing the deal.

"People shouldn't make too much of the language in the memorandum of understanding," said one of the officials, describing the agreement as a "political document."

"What's more important than the document itself are the understandings that we have with each other, and that's why it's important to finalize it, so that we can create the necessary environment to discuss all these issues, because it basically says we're going to lift the sanctions, we're going to reach an agreement on the nuclear program, we're going to unfreeze the funds," the same official said.

"But we will lift the sanctions when, you know, based on progress. We will release the funds once we have agreed on the mechanisms for that," he said.

What is known about the agreement?
The United States and Iran have reached an agreement that will end the U.S. blockade of Iranian ports, reopen the Strait of Hormuz and begin 60 days of negotiations on nuclear issues.

The text of the memorandum of understanding between the two countries will be publicly released. US President Donald Trump said this will happen "very soon", probably after a formal signing ceremony on Friday (19).

A senior Trump administration official said the document should be published within the next 24 to 48 hours.

See what is known - and what is not yet known - about the main themes involved:

Strait of Hormuz
The US has said the strait will reopen after the agreement is signed on Friday, with Trump declaring that passage through the sea will be "permanently toll-free".

However, two semi-official Iranian news agencies reported on Monday (15) that while Tehran allows free transit during the 60-day window in which new negotiations take place, it intends to charge fees after that period.

The Fars News agency stated that Iran "intends to obtain financial benefits from commercial ship traffic through the Strait of Hormuz."

Safety concerns will also influence the reopening timeline.

CNN previously reported that Iran has installed mines in the strait, and negotiators will need to reach agreements on how to remove them.

Ceasefire
Pakistan, which mediated the agreement, declared that both sides "announced the immediate and permanent cessation of military operations on all fronts, including Lebanon."

However, the agreement does not include a requirement that Israel withdraw from Lebanon, according to a senior US official on Monday. Israel, which is not a party to the agreement, reiterated that its forces will not leave Lebanese territory.

The US will maintain its current military presence in the Middle East during technical negotiations between the US and Iran, with a reduction planned if a final agreement is reached, a senior US administration official said.

Nuclear issues
The US has said Iran has provided assurances that it will never develop a nuclear weapon. However, there are no concrete commitments on Iran's nuclear program or its uranium stocks. These issues were left for future negotiations.

Sanctions and frozen resources
Iran has said the 60-day nuclear talks will only begin after the US releases billions of dollars in frozen financial resources. However, an American official stated that no funds will be released without clear commitments from Iran.

The economy
Oil prices fell to their lowest levels in three months after the deal was announced, but still remain about $10 per barrel above pre-conflict levels.

A broader economic recovery will likely take months to unfold.

What is known about the interim agreement between the US and Iran

Source: CNN