Different Narratives on the Content of the Potential Memorandum of Understanding

While Iranian and Western media report that Tehran and Washington are nearing a memorandum of understanding, the details published by both sides reveal significant discrepancies regarding the content of this potential agreement.

The Etemad newspaper in Iran, quoting a media member of the Islamic Republic’s negotiating delegation, and the Axios website, quoting a mediating diplomat and a U.S. official, have published reports on the provisions of this understanding. However, these two narratives present major differences across several key areas.

In Etemad’s report, the understanding includes the “reopening of the Strait of Hormuz within 30 days under Iranian arrangements” and a gradual return to normal conditions. Axios, conversely, writes that the strait will open “immediately and without the collection of tolls by Iran,” and that only the volume of traffic will return to pre-war conditions within a 30-day window—a depiction that describes Iran’s role in managing the waterway as far more limited.

Etemad speaks of the “suspension of oil and petrochemical sanctions and full access for Iran to financial resources,” even pointing to the phased release of approximately $24 billion in frozen assets.

In contrast, Axios emphasizes that no definitive timeline exists for the suspension of sanctions and that everything is “conditional upon full compliance with the agreement by Iran.” In other words, the lifting of economic pressure will be step-by-step and dependent on Tehran’s behavior.

According to the Etemad report, a portion of Iran’s blocked resources would become accessible even before the start of negotiations. Axios, however, remains completely silent on this matter, stating only that it is “unclear” whether such a clause exists in the final text.

Both reports emphasize Iran’s commitment not to build a nuclear weapon, but Axios provides further details, including the potential dilution of uranium inside Iran under international supervision. In contrast, the Etemad report makes a generalized reference to 60-day negotiations regarding nuclear issues and the lifting of sanctions, without delving into the fate of uranium stockpiles.

Axios claims that the text of the memorandum of understanding has been approved at a high level but still lacks the final signature of certain political figures in Iran, including Mojtaba Khamenei. In response, Iran’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs has stressed that no agreement has been finalized and that all reports are mere “speculation.”

While both narratives indicate that an agreement is drawing close, the differences over Iran’s role in controlling the Strait of Hormuz, the method and timing of sanctions relief, and the fate of frozen assets demonstrate that the final path toward an agreement remains ambiguous and a subject of serious dispute between the parties.