Iran’s IRIB state TV network reported Wednesday that it had “obtained” a draft of the “Islamabad Framework” – a memorandum of understanding taking shape with the U.S. that would see the countries agree to extend their ceasefire and reopen the Strait of Hormuz, while also launching direct negotiations on more contentious matters.
IRIB called the version it obtained an “unofficial preliminary document outlining a 14-point draft of the agreement,” which it cast as a potential step toward ending the war that was still being revised and negotiated between the two countries.
The White House later rejected the reporting, writing, “This report from Iranian controlled media is not true and the MOU they ‘released’ is a complete fabrication. Nobody should believe what Iranian state media is putting out.”
IRIB said the draft includes a commitment from the U.S. to lift its blockade of Iranian ports and vessels. In return, Iran would restore the flow of commercial shipping through the Persian Gulf and the Sea of Oman, through the Strait of Hormuz, to pre-war levels within one month.
IRIB said military vessels would be excluded from Iran’s lifting of restrictions in the strait and that commercial traffic — including vessel inspections and the imposition of service “fees” — would remain under the authority of Iran in coordination with neighbor Oman.
“The Strait of Hormuz, between us and Oman as coastal countries, must have a defined mechanism,” Esmail Baqaei, spokesman for both Iran’s Foreign Ministry and its team negotiating with the U.S., told IRIB.
The IRIB report said the draft agreement included the U.S. accepting “an obligation” to withdraw American forces from the Mideast, but it noted that specifics, including whether the withdrawal would apply only to recently added forces or also long-standing troop deployments, remained subject to negotiation.
The draft envisions, per the report, that if direct talks between Iran and the U.S. yield a final agreement on a wider peace deal within the provisioned 60 days, that deal would be enshrined as a binding United Nations Security Council resolution.
The report concluded by stressing that the Islamabad Framework remained unfinalized – and noting a significant possibility that the two sides could still fail to resolve their differences on terms to even begin direct negotiations on contentious issues such as Iran’s nuclear material.
