The United States and Iran have agreed in principle to a deal that would wind down the war in the Middle East by reopening the Strait of Hormuz with a commitment from Iran to dispose of its highly enriched uranium, a senior U.S. official told reporters on Sunday.

 

Updated

May 24, 2026, 12:11 p.m. ET14 minutes ago

Tyler Pager Aaron Boxerman Farnaz Fassihi and Julian Barnes

https://www.nytimes.com/live/2026/05/24/world/iran-war-trump

 

Here’s the latest.

The United States and Iran have agreed in principle to a deal that would wind down the war in the Middle East by reopening the Strait of Hormuz with a commitment from Iran to dispose of its highly enriched uranium, a senior U.S. official told reporters on Sunday.

 

There were no immediate public statements from Iran about a deal being reached. Over the last 24 hours, Iranian and U.S. officials have offered some conflicting depictions of what a potential agreement might contain. On Sunday, the U.S. official said a deal had not yet been signed and was still subject to final approval from President Trump and Iran’s supreme leader, which could take days.

 

The senior U.S. official said the mechanism by which Iran would  dispose of its highly enriched uranium was still being negotiated. Mr. Trump has insisted that the United States seize the material as part of his vow to curb Iran’s nuclear program.

 

Mr. Trump said in a social media post earlier on Sunday that he had ordered his negotiators “not to rush into a deal,” after saying a day earlier that a preliminary agreement between the two countries was “largely negotiated.”

 

If a deal was certified, Mr. Trump said, the United States could end its blockade of Iranian ports, which it had used to pressure Tehran to reopen the strait.

 

Three Iranian officials said on Saturday that a potential deal would stipulate only that nuclear matters would be negotiated within 30 to 60 days. Like the U.S. official, they spoke anonymously because they were not authorized to discuss the sensitive subject.

 

U.S. and Iranian officials have said any agreement would be an initial framework that would lead to further negotiations, rather than the last word.

 

The possible deal does not address Iran’s supply of missiles nor does it stipulate a moratorium on enrichment, the U.S. official said on Sunday. Those issues would be addressed in future negotiations, the official said. In previous rounds of negotiations, the United States has sought at least a 20-year commitment.

 

For Mr. Trump, a deal with Iran could offer a path to ending the turmoil wrought by the war, which began in late February when the United States and Israel attacked Iran. The conflict has killed thousands, rattled global energy markets and been broadly unpopular among the American public.

 

Here’s what else we’re covering:

 

Cease-fire backdrop: The United States, Israel and Iran agreed to a cease-fire in early April to allow for talks on Iran’s nuclear program and the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz. Mr. Trump’s latest announcement followed a wave of last-ditch diplomatic efforts to stave off a return to full-scale war.

 

Congressional backlash: Iran hawks, including some Congressional Republicans, slammed the emerging agreement as effectively undermining Mr. Trump’s own war goals. Senator Roger Wicker, the chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, called the proposal “a disaster” and cast doubt on the notion that Iran would “ever engage in good faith.”