The $30 billion price tag for a deal

The United States and Iran are close to an agreement to end their war, but deep divisions persist over the Strait of Hormuz, nuclear enrichment, and sanctions relief. an incremental approach is reportedly being considered,starting with the strait's reopening and then addresing more complex nuclear issues.

The two nations remain deeply divided on Tehran's nuclear program, its stockpiles of highly enriched uranium (HEU), and the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz. While some potential agreement details have surfaced, many fail to address the core issues that prompted the U.S. and Israel to launch military action in February.

The Strait of Hormuz: A flashpoint for conflict

The Strait of Hormuz is an international waterway through which one-fifth of the world's energy transits.. Traffic through the strait dwindled from around 100 vessels per day before the war to just a handful. Trump says any deal involves reopening the strait but has not clarified whether that would mean Tehran would have sovereignty there.

Tehran has indicated it could reopen the strait to some traffic in exchange for the U.S. ending its blockade of Iranian ports, which began on April 13 after the failure of talks in Islamabad. However, Tehran continues to claim that it, along with Oman, controls the Strait of Hormuz as territorial waters.

Unanswered questions: Who will blink first?

The main sticking point is whether the United States is prepared to remove the naval blockade at an early stage and release at least part of the frozen Iranian assets as part of an initial package.. Iran has not publicly committed to removing its HEU stockpiles or halting uranium enrichment, despite the Trump administration's claims to the contrary.

Iranian officials state that any U.S. demand for zero enrichment, or a return to the 3.6 percent level set in the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) between Iran and the U.S. in 2015, would be a red line for Tehran.

What's at stake: A fragile balance of power

The path to a final deal remains fraught with obstacles,as each side continues to insist on conditions that the other finds difficult to accept.. The coming weeks will be critical in determining whether the framework can be solidified or if the talks will collapse once again.

Azizi noted that hard-liners exist on both the Iranian and U.S. sides, complicating any potential accord. The objective is a framework agreement or MOU, both the Strait of Hormuz issue and the nuclear question can be managed.