White House disputes Iranian state TV reports of terms of deal to end war

Iran's ‌ say TV said it had obtained ​a outline of ​an initial unofficial fabric ​for a memorandum of ⁠ discernment ⁠with ‌the United States.

below the framework, Iran ⁠would restore commercial shipping through the Strait ‌of Hormuz to prewar levels within a ​month, while the ⁠United States would ⁠withdraw military ⁠forces ⁠from Iran's ​vicinity and lift a ​naval ⁠blockade.

State ‌TV said the framework, which excludes military vessels and envisages Iran managing ship traffic through the strait in co-operation with Oman, ⁠was not yet finalized and that Tehran would take no steps without "tangible verification."

It added that if a ‌final agreement was reached within 60 days, it could be approved as a binding UN Security Council resolution.

Traffic through the strait, which normally carries about one-fifth of global trade in oil and liquefied natural gas, has been a fraction of its usual level since the war began.

The White ‌House said the report of the understanding ‌between Iran and the United ​States ⁠was "not true" and ⁠that ⁠the ⁠cited ​memorandum was "a ​complete ⁠fabrication."

Iran war is a 'lose-lose,' says international relations expert

The emerging U.S.-Iran memorandum stems ​from indirect talks launched after the war that began in ⁠February, with Pakistan playing a central mediating role ⁠between Tehran and Washington.

The war began on Feb. 28 with a U.S.-Israeli bombing campaign against Iran and has disrupted shipping in the Strait of Hormuz, boosting energy prices as well as straining global supply chains.

The state media broadcast came a day after Iran's Foreign Ministry said the U.S. Had violated a ceasefire by striking targets near the contested Strait of Hormuz.

Further straining peace efforts, Israel pounded Lebanon with more than 120 air strikes on Tuesday in one of the heaviest days of bombing in weeks, Lebanese security sources said. Iran has sought an end to Israeli attacks in Lebanon as part of any deal.

Trump has said his key aim in the war is to prevent Iran from developing a nuclear weapon with its highly enriched uranium, but negotiations on Iran's stockpile of uranium don't appear to be imminent. Trump last year claimed strikes conducted with Israel over a 12-day period had "obliterated" Iran's nuclear capabilities.

The last deal over the nuclear program — struck in 2015 and torn up by Trump in 2018 — took years of negotiations between large teams of technical experts.

Several Republicans in Congress have bristled in recent days at what they've seen reported about a deal framework, arguing that Iran would still retain the ability to be a disruptive and dangerous force in the Middle East.

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