The United States appears to be moving closer to Iran’s demand to prioritise ending the war and resolving tensions in the Strait of Hormuz before tackling Tehran’s nuclear programme, according to diplomatic and media reports.
The shift became more visible after US President Donald Trump announced a pause in the US Navy’s escort mission for commercial vessels in the Strait of Hormuz, citing progress towards a “complete and final agreement” with Iran. The operation, launched amid escalating regional tensions, had only begun days earlier, reports Al Jazeera.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio later declared that Operation Epic Fury — the American air and naval campaign launched on February 28 — had concluded, adding that Washington now sought a memorandum of understanding (MoU) for future negotiations with Tehran.
Now, the US appears to have come around to accepting Iran’s demand, say experts. On Wednesday, the Reuters news agency and the US publication Axios reported that the US and Iran were close to agreeing to a one-page MoU to end the war, even though there have been no detailed negotiations on Tehran’s nuclear programme.
Seyed Mojtaba Jalalzadeh, an international relations analyst based in Tehran, said the week’s diplomatic signals reflected a sober reassessment in Washington of what was achievable.
“Moving towards a memorandum of understanding, a framework for future talks, is a good, viable and important first step to solve the immediate problem,” he told the media.
Pakistani officials close to the country’s efforts to mediate peace between the US and Iran told the media that Islamabad’s role as an intermediary had intensified in recent days, with senior officials in direct communication with both sides. Details of those exchanges remain closely held.
On Wednesday afternoon in Islamabad, Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif responded to Trump’s announcement of the pause in the operation to open the Strait of Hormuz, naming Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman as a partner who prodded the US president to suspend the military mission in the waterway.
Pakistan, Sharif wrote on social media, was “very hopeful that the current momentum will lead to a lasting agreement that secures durable peace and stability for the region and beyond”.
Just 24 hours earlier, that optimism would have appeared misplaced.
Since the weekend, an already fragile ceasefire between the US and Iran appeared to be fraying.
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) allegedly launched missiles and drones at the United Arab Emirates on Monday and Tuesday, the first such attacks since the April 8 truce. An oil facility in Fujairah was struck, wounding three Indian workers. Iran denied involvement.
The US and Iran each claimed they had hit the other’s ships, and each denied the other’s claims of success.
Washington, however, declined to escalate. Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman General Dan Caine said the incidents remained “all below the threshold of restarting major combat operations”. US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said the ceasefire “certainly holds”.
Bd-pratidin English/TR
