Middle East — 2026-05-25

White House Says Iran Deal Could Take Days as Supreme Leader Endorses Broad Template

BLUFDespite Khamenei's endorsement of the broad template, a signed accord within the seven-week window remains genuinely uncertain, with uranium-disposal terms, frozen-asset disputes, and Netanyahu's dismantlement demand each capable of collapsing talks.

A senior Trump administration official said on May 24 that Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei has endorsed the deal's "broad template" but that a final accord has not been reached and could still fail. 12 The official said Iran has agreed in principle to dispose of its highly enriched uranium stockpile in exchange for the U.S. lifting its naval blockade, with the Strait of Hormuz reopening first and a 60-day disposal negotiation to follow. 123 Iran's semi-official Tasnim news agency accused Washington of "creating obstacles" on frozen-asset release and said the deal could be canceled. 4 Netanyahu told Trump on Saturday that any final agreement must include dismantling Iran's enrichment sites and removing all enriched material from Iranian territory. 345

Analysis
A formally signed agreement within the seven-week window is genuinely uncertain. The disposal mechanism for roughly 2,000 kilograms of enriched uranium and scope of sanctions relief remain contested, and frozen-asset terms and Lebanon ceasefire language each carry enough weight to collapse talks before signature. Netanyahu's demand for full enrichment-site dismantlement creates a second pressure track that could force Washington to harden its position or absorb Israeli political blowback. Iran's Tasnim signaling on frozen assets may instead reflect deliberate leverage to extract last-minute concessions rather than genuine collapse risk. Moderate confidence rests on convergence across three independent sourcing streams, though opacity of Iran's internal deliberations limits visibility into whether Khamenei's approval survives finalization. A concluded deal requires Treasury and State to execute sanctions relief on a compressed timeline. Failure forces Pentagon planners to model resumed Strait of Hormuz hostilities.

6 sources