The United States and Iran are closer to an agreement. What the media is writing

The United States and Iran have reached an agreement in principle on opening the Strait of Hormuz. The final agreement is still under development and may be finalized in the coming days. Against this background, oil prices began to fall sharply, and Republicans criticized US President Donald Trump for being soft on Tehran. How the media assess the current situation in the Persian Gulf is in the Izvestia digest.

The New York Times: The United States and Iran have reached an agreement on opening the strait

According to the American official, the United States and Iran have reached an agreement in principle providing for the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz. However, this statement left many questions unanswered, starting with how soon normal shipping through the strait could resume and when oil prices would start to decline. Since the details of the agreement have not yet been agreed, it remains unclear what control, if any, Iran will continue to exercise over the strait, including whether it will be able to charge passage fees.

Even if the strait is officially opened soon, there are still many factors preventing the resumption of navigation. The first question will be whether the shipowners will come to a conclusion about the strength of the peace agreement and the safety of tanker passage. In addition, the question arises of how long it will take to clear the strait. Even when ships manage to pass through the strait, it will take them several weeks to reach ports in Asia and Europe, and only then will the shortage of oil and natural gas, which has led to rising fuel prices worldwide, begin to decrease.

Bloomberg: The United States and Iran are gradually approaching an agreement

Senior US officials have said that the US and Iran are close to an agreement that will allow the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, despite US President Donald Trump insisting that he would not "rush" to conclude an agreement. U.S. officials told reporters that nothing is ready to be signed yet, as negotiators are working on the exact wording of key issues, and final approval may take several more days.

In Asian trading, oil prices fell to their lowest level in more than two weeks, and the dollar weakened amid expectations of an imminent deal. The global benchmark Brent crude continued to fall after Rubio's comments and declined by about 6%. Nevertheless, the broad agreement described by American officials does not address the issue of Iran's missile arsenal and does not explicitly prohibit uranium enrichment, two of Trump's most important goals.

The Washington Post: The US and Iran are working on an agreement to extend the ceasefire

The United States and Iran have developed a memorandum of understanding that extends the ceasefire for 60 days until both sides reach a "final agreement" to end the war in Iran completely, but in the meantime will lead to the clearance and reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, a senior Trump administration official said. A diplomat familiar with the situation said the latest proposal is currently awaiting approval from the Iranians.

The memorandum of understanding "obliges" the Iranians not to possess nuclear weapons, including "abandoning nuclear dust," said a senior U.S. administration official, referring to the country's highly enriched uranium reserves. Over the next two months, the parties will discuss a "mechanism" to achieve this goal, the official added. However, questions remain about how quickly certain aspects of the new structure will be implemented.

Associated Press: Republicans criticize Trump's plan to end the war

Trump's proposed agreement to end the war with Iran has drawn sharp criticism from some of his Republican colleagues, who advocate a tougher line against the government in Tehran and fear a missed opportunity to finally curb the long-time Middle Eastern enemy. The agreement, which the president said was "largely negotiated," has led many lawmakers, former cabinet ministers, and conservative analysts to question whether current conditions will lead to the entire conflict being "in vain."

Trump, who has stated that he only makes profitable deals and hates being seen as having no advantage in negotiations, rejected objections to the document, which, according to him, "has not even been fully agreed upon yet." Trump said the deal he and his representatives are working on is the "exact opposite" of the nuclear agreement that Iran agreed to under the Obama administration.

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Reuters: Rubio said that the United States will find "another way out" if negotiations fail

The United States will either conclude a good agreement with Iran, or will do business with the country in a "different way," Rubio said. He told reporters in New Delhi that the US would give diplomacy every chance of success before considering "alternatives," after President Donald Trump said he had instructed his representatives not to rush into any deal with Iran.

A senior Trump administration official outlined the latest outlines of the issues under discussion. He said that Iran had "in principle" agreed to open the Strait of Hormuz in exchange for the lifting by the United States of the naval blockade and the disposal of highly enriched uranium in Tehran's possession. According to the US representative, they understood that Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei approved the general model of the agreement.