The plan on the table is one page long and has 14 points. According to the Wall Street Journal, which reported it on Friday and cited people familiar with the matter, the United States and Iran could be back at the table in Islamabad as early as next week.
Mediators are working with both sides on a memorandum of understanding. It would set the ground rules for a month of negotiations aimed at ending the war, and the month could be extended if both sides agree and the talks make progress.
What the draft covers
The draft reportedly takes in Iran’s nuclear program, the Strait of Hormuz, and what to do with Iran’s highly enriched uranium stockpiles, with one idea being to move them to another country. Key issues are still open. Sanctions relief is one of them: how much Iran would get is disputed, and the Journal said that argument could snarl the talks.
How it got here
The US and Israel launched strikes on Iran on Feb. 28. Tehran hit back, and traffic through the Strait of Hormuz, a key route for the world’s oil and gas shipping, was disrupted.
Pakistan brokered a ceasefire that took effect on April 8. The first round of talks in Islamabad, held on April 11, ended without a lasting agreement. President Donald Trump later extended the truce with no deadline set. Since April 13, the US has kept up a naval blockade on Iranian maritime traffic in the strait.
