The US and Iran have concluded a temporary truce, but many issues remain unclear. There are different statements, especially on the issue of the Iranian nuclear program. The situation with the opening of the Strait of Hormuz is also unclear.
After the announcement of a two-week truce between Iran, the US and Israel, there are still many unanswered questions, notes ARD. Before the start of direct negotiations, which are due to begin on Friday in the Pakistani capital Islamabad, there are very contradictory statements on some topics.
The starting point for the negotiations is a ten-point plan, which, according to US President Donald Trump, Iran has handed over to the US. Trump initially called it “a solid basis for negotiations“. Almost all controversial issues were clarified.
Two versions of the 10-point plan
A little later, however, Trump called the 10-point plan “fraudulent”, recalls the German public media. The reason for this may lie in the fact that, according to the Associated Press news agency, there are two versions of the plan, which differ significantly in language and content.
With regard to the Iranian nuclear program, for example, the Iranian version, which is written in Farsi, contained the phrase “agreement to enrich uranium“. For reasons that are still unclear, however, this phrase is missing from the English version that Iranian diplomats provided to journalists.
However, Trump has repeatedly stated that the termination of Tehran's nuclear program is a central requirement for the country. According to the Associated Press, Trump said after the ceasefire was confirmed that "this issue will be perfectly resolved, otherwise I would not have agreed to such a thing", without giving further details on the matter. Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu also mentioned the destruction of Iran's nuclear and missile programs among the main goals of the war in the Middle East.
A fee for passage through the Strait of Hormuz?
It also remains unclear what will happen with the opening of the Strait of Hormuz, which the US has demanded. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said that passage through the strait would be allowed under Iranian military administration. It is not clear whether Iran will completely give up control of the strait or not. According to some reports, the plan envisages Iran, as well as Oman, charging fees to ships passing through the strait, ARD notes.
In addition, Iran wants the US to withdraw its combat units from the region, to lift sanctions and to unblock the country's frozen financial assets. Trump, on the other hand - exactly the opposite - is talking about keeping the US military in the region.
Will there be a ceasefire in Lebanon?
It also remains unclear whether there will be a ceasefire on some of the other lines of contact in the conflict - for example, in Lebanon. Netanyahu, for example, said that his country supports the ceasefire with Iran, but will continue to attack Hezbollah positions in Lebanon. Fighting there is still ongoing.