NYT: US and Iran have agreed in principle to deal to keep Strait of Hormuz open

The United States and Iran have agreed in principle to a deal that would wind down the war in the Middle East by reopening the Strait of Hormuz and committing Iran to dispose of its highly enriched uranium, a senior US official who declined to be named told reporters on Sunday, according to The New York Times.

But President Trump, in a post on social media on Sunday afternoon, noted that the deal "isn't even fully negotiated yet."

A day earlier, Esmail Baghaei, Iran's foreign ministry spokesman, said that Washington and Tehran were in the "final stage" of drafting a memorandum of understanding and "may be able to reach a mutually acceptable solution." Neither Iran's leaders nor official state media have publicly commented on the substance of any potential agreement.

The US official speaking to reporters on Sunday said the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz - a critical waterway that has been effectively blockaded by Iran amid the war - would not inaugurate any tolls for passage, as Iranian officials have advocated.

Reopening the strait would alleviate economic pressure on the global economy, reassure the markets and create space to address the nuclear issues, the official said, without offering a timeline for how long the United States would allow for a deal on the nuclear issues, according to NYT.