Published on 5/30/2026
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Last update: 5/31/2026 07:00 (Mecca time)
Iranian media said that an unofficial draft of the memorandum of understanding with the United States includes, in one of its clauses, the release of $12 billion of Iran’s frozen assets within 60 days, in addition to granting Tehran exclusive authority to determine the nature of ships crossing the Strait of Hormuz.
Iranian state television published an “unofficial document” containing the features of a 14-item memorandum of understanding, which was prepared between the two sides through Pakistani mediation, at a time when tension and conflicting statements continue regarding navigation in the waterway and the Iranian nuclear file.
Iranian television said that, according to an unofficial version of the text under negotiation, the United States is committed to “granting Iran full access to $12 billion of its assets within 60 days, so that it can transfer these resources and spend them in banks and in the country or countries it wishes to be a destination for without restrictions.”
Iranian assets frozen abroad due to US sanctions are one of the main points in the ongoing negotiations to reach an agreement to end the war.
The Iranian ISNA news agency reported on Thursday that Tehran is seeking to secure the release of $24 billion, “half of which will be provided once the memorandum of understanding is announced.” Iranian media reports estimated the total value of assets frozen abroad between 100 and 123 billion dollars.
Exclusive authority over Hormuz
According to the document, “reorganizing the navigation rules in the Strait of Hormuz” constitutes one of the most prominent provisions of the proposed understanding, as the unofficial draft of the understanding reported by the Iranian media indicates that Tehran “possesses the exclusive authority to determine the nature of ships passing” in the strait.
According to the draft, ships whose cargo is classified as threatening Iran, or whose ultimate beneficiary is hostile to it, will not be considered “commercial ships and will not be allowed to transit.” The exclusive authority to manage the strait includes the transit route, imposing navigation fees, ensuring security, and dealing with environmental damage.
There was no immediate comment from the United States on the draft agreement published on Iranian television, but the White House said that President Donald Trump would not conclude an agreement with Tehran unless he met all the conditions.
New reservations and amendments
Axios quoted a US administration official as saying that announcing the agreement with Iran may take a few days or more than a week until President Trump gets what he is asking for.
According to what the site reported from American officials and other sources, Trump’s reservations include some points that he wants to amend in the agreement, including mainly:
- Formulations regarding the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz.
- Details regarding the United States’ acquisition of enriched uranium and the timing of this.
- Amendments to draft provisions related to Iran’s nuclear program.
The New York Times reported, citing American officials, that Trump’s new amendments, with the participation of mediators from Pakistan, were returned to Tehran for consideration by the Iranian leadership, noting that an additional delay is expected for the official announcement of the agreement due to the difficulty of direct communication with Iranian Leader Mojtaba Khamenei.
An American official said that President Trump is dissatisfied with the slow Iranian response to the American proposals, while another official said, “The Iranians are literally inside caves and do not use email.”
Tightening the naval blockade
Meanwhile, the US Central Command (CENTCOM) continues to tighten its naval blockade of Iranian ports. Earlier on Saturday, it said it had disabled the Gambian-flagged bulk cargo ship “Lyan Star” after it did not comply with several warnings issued by US forces as it attempted to sail towards an Iranian port during the night.
An American military official explained that American aircraft targeted the ship with a missile that directly hit the engine room after it ignored many warnings, which led to it stopping and drifting out of control in the Gulf of Oman without American forces boarding it.
This brings the number of ships that the US army has forcefully stopped since the start of the naval blockade on April 17 to 6, while Centcom announced the redirection of 116 other commercial ships to ensure the full implementation of the blockade.
Iranian response
In a quick response, the leadership of the Khatam al-Anbia headquarters – responsible for managing military operations in Iran – issued a statement in which it announced that all ships and oil tankers are fully obligated to follow the routes determined by Tehran, and that they must obtain a previous license from the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Navy before crossing.
The statement warned that any violation of the regulations for crossing the Strait of Hormuz would expose the security of the passage of violating ships to a “serious and grave danger,” stressing that the Iranian Armed Forces manage the Strait with full competence and decisiveness.
The same source also issued a direct warning to foreign forces, stressing that any action taken by military ships to interfere in the management of the Strait of Hormuz will make them a “legitimate target” for Iranian fire.
This tension coincided with the announcement by Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Ismail Baghaei that the Strait of Hormuz has a special status, due to its geographical location within Iranian and Omani territorial waters.
On the other hand, the Omani Maritime Security Center – today, Saturday – urged seagoers, fishermen and ships to exercise the utmost caution, after spotting a floating object suspected to be a “sea mine” west of the coastal traffic area in the Strait of Hormuz within the territorial sea of the Sultanate of Oman, calling on everyone to stay away from suspicious objects and report them immediately.
Conflicting terms
Politically, international circles are awaiting the fate of the ceasefire agreement that has been in effect since April 7, amid a new round of talks sponsored by Pakistan to extend the truce for 60 days.
But US President Donald Trump’s statements following a meeting of the White House Situations Room imposed strict conditions, as he threatened through his “Truth Social” platform that Iran must agree never to possess a nuclear weapon, and to open the Strait of Hormuz immediately without fees.
He also indicated that America will extract and destroy the enriched materials in cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency, stressing that no money will be exchanged until further notice.
US Secretary of War Pete Hegseth confirmed from Singapore that his country is fully capable of resuming military operations if necessary, pointing to the adequacy of stocks and high-tech ammunition.
On the other hand, Mohsen Rezaei – advisor to Iranian Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei – launched an attack on the American administration, saying that “Trump is betraying diplomacy for the third time” by continuing the naval blockade and making what he described as “excessive demands” in the negotiations.
Iranian media quoted informed sources as saying that Trump’s statements regarding a possible understanding are “a mixture of truth and lies,” stressing that Tehran requires the immediate payment of $12 billion in frozen Iranian assets before entering into any subsequent negotiating stage.
Iranian media denied the existence of any clause in the draft agreement related to the destruction of nuclear materials or the cancellation of transit fees in the Strait of Hormuz, amid assurances from the Iranian Foreign Ministry that the current focus is solely on ending the war without prejudice to the nuclear file.
This conflict, which broke out after American and Israeli strikes that began on February 28 and Iran’s closure of the Strait in March, cast a heavy shadow on the global economy due to the disruption of shipments of oil, natural gas, and fertilizers, in parallel with Israel’s continued escalation on the Lebanon front and its forces penetrating the Litani River, threatening the population and historical monuments in Tire and Nabatieh.
