Iran War & Ceasefire — 2026-05-09

U.S. and Iran Closing In on Framework Deal Including Uranium Moratorium and Hormuz Reopening

Axios, cited by both outlets, reported on May 7 that US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner have drafted a 14-point memorandum that would impose a 12-year uranium enrichment moratorium and require removal of Iran's highly-enriched uranium stockpile, in exchange for US sanctions relief and joint reopening of the Strait of Hormuz within 30 days. Trump told reporters he believed Iran "wants to make a deal" and paused US escort operations in the strait. Iran had not formally responded; senior lawmakers Ghalibaf and Rezaei publicly dismissed the proposal, and Al Jazeera's Tehran correspondent reported Iranian officials insisting the nuclear file is not under negotiation at this stage. Times of Israel, citing Channel 12, said US officials told Israel separately that Iran is showing "surprising openness" on relocating its uranium stockpile.

Analysis
A formal framework agreement before July 1 is unlikely. Washington is pressing for an immediate 12-year enrichment moratorium bundled in a single MoU. Iran, per named Tehran correspondents directly quoting Foreign Ministry and parliamentary officials, insists the nuclear file is not under negotiation at this stage and demands sanctions relief and Hormuz reopening precede any nuclear discussion. Disposition of roughly 440 kilograms of 60-percent-enriched uranium remains unresolved, and the IRGC retains capacity to block any deal the executive might accept. Ghalibaf and Rezaei's public dismissals may reflect hardliner factional positioning rather than executive branch flexibility, but that distinction is unlikely to close the sequencing gap within 53 days.

3 sources

What are US proposals to end war and will Iran agree to them - Al Jazeera
US, Iran said closing in on framework for permanent deal, as Trump renews bomb threats - The Times of Israel
What is in the US one-page proposal for Iran peace deal - The Hill