Iran Talks Slow Over 2 Issues

Progress toward a cease-fire in the Iran war snagged Monday, negotiators said, on two issues: how to handle Tehran's nuclear program and the scope of sanctions relief. The talks, aimed at ending the war and easing tensions in the Strait of Hormuz, slowed after a weekend in which President Trump first signaled that an agreement was near, then said he would not "rush into a deal" he considered inadequate. A senior US official said a proposed memorandum of understanding would halt the fighting, reopen shipping lanes for 30 days, and set up a second phase of negotiations on Iran's nuclear activities, with sanctions relief tied to future progress, the Wall Street Journal reports.

American negotiators want firmer nuclear commitments at the outset, while Iran is seeking clearer guarantees on sanctions easing and the unfreezing of assets. They're concerned that Tehran could secure early economic relief and then delay nuclear concessions, mediators said. Top Iranian negotiators, including parliamentary speaker Mohammad-Bagher Ghalibaf and Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, traveled to Qatar to work on remaining disputes. A Foreign Ministry spokesman said several issues had advanced but cautioned that a deal was not close. Trump added a new wrinkle on Monday when he called on several majority-Muslim countries to join the Abraham Accords as part of the deal being negotiated now, per the Washington Post. The accords, negotiated in Trump's first term, are treaties under which nations establish diplomatic relations with Israel.

Israel, worried that a deal could ease pressure on Tehran while constraining Israeli military options against Iran and Hezbollah, is lobbying American officials for tougher terms and more binding Iranian commitments, per the Journal. Mediators also noted uncertainty over internal decision-making in Tehran, with Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei staying publicly silent. Baghaei, for his part, criticized what he called institutional instability in US policymaking, citing frequent shifts in Washington's position.