Helsingborg:
According to the report, the proposed agreement includes an immediate, comprehensive and unconditional ceasefire across land, sea and air. It also commits both sides to stop targeting military, civilian and economic infrastructure, end military operations and halt media hostilities.
The draft reportedly underlines respect for sovereignty, territorial integrity and non-interference in internal affairs. It is also expected to guarantee freedom of navigation in the Arabian Gulf, the Strait of Hormuz and the Gulf of Oman.
The agreement is also likely to create a joint mechanism to monitor implementation and resolve disputes. Negotiations on outstanding issues would begin within seven days of the deal taking effect, while the US would gradually lift sanctions in exchange for Iran’s compliance, Al Arabiya reported.
The possible breakthrough comes after US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said talks to halt the conflict with Iran had shown “some slight progress”.
Speaking at a NATO foreign ministers’ meeting in Helsingborg, Sweden, Rubio said, “There’s been some slight progress. I don’t want to exaggerate it. There’s been a little bit of movement, and that’s good.”
However, he stressed that Washington’s core demands remain unchanged, particularly on preventing Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons and ensuring free maritime passage through the Strait of Hormuz.
Rubio criticised Iran’s reported attempt to create a tolling system for ships passing through the blocked waterway, saying Tehran was trying to convince Oman to join such a mechanism. “There is not a country in the world that should accept that,” he said.
The Strait of Hormuz remains a key sticking point in negotiations. The waterway normally carries about a fifth of the world’s oil and liquefied natural gas. Iran imposed restrictions in the strait during the war, allowing only limited vessel movement while pushing a proposed fee system for transit.
US President Donald Trump has also taken a tough line, saying Washington wants the waterway to remain free and open. “We want it free, we don’t want tolls. It’s international; it’s an international waterway,” Trump said on Thursday.
The nuclear issue remains equally contentious. Trump has insisted that Iran must not retain its highly enriched uranium stockpile, which the US believes was moved to underground facilities after US-Israeli strikes. “We will get it. We don’t need it, we don’t want it. We’ll probably destroy it after we get it, but we’re not going to let them have it,” Trump said.
Iran is believed to possess around 900 pounds of highly enriched uranium, considered sufficient for potential weapons development if further refined. Reuters, citing two Iranian sources, reported that Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei had ordered that the enriched uranium stockpile “should not leave the country”, effectively rejecting a key US demand.
Tehran, meanwhile, has said it is examining points received from Washington, while demanding the release of frozen Iranian assets abroad and an end to the US naval blockade.
Pakistan has also emerged as a possible mediator. Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi extended his stay in Tehran and held a second meeting with Iranian Foreign Minister Syed Araghchi. Rubio also referred to a visit by Pakistan’s army chief to Tehran, saying, “Hopefully that’ll advance this further.”
At the same time, Rubio criticised NATO allies for not doing enough to support Washington’s Middle East campaign. He said Trump’s disappointment with some allies was “well documented” and would have to be addressed, while clarifying that any US troop adjustments in Europe were not punitive.
The temporary ceasefire announced on April 8 halted the war launched weeks earlier by the United States and Israel, but talks have so far failed to produce a lasting settlement. With energy costs rising and global supply chains under pressure, any agreement between Washington and Tehran could bring significant relief to the global economy.
