CNN obtains US-Iran draft agreement: What its 14 points reveal

CNN has obtained the text of a 14 -point memorandum of understanding between the U .S.and Iran.CNN's Kevin Liptak is in Geneva, Switzerland.Kevin, can you tell us about what you've learned so far?

Right.And this text, Adi, has not been officially released by either side of this.We've heard from American officials over the last couple of days that they were planning to release this officially after it is formally signed here in Switzerland on Friday.But now CNN has obtained a copy of it.We've gotten a copy from a U .S.

official.We've gotten a version of it from a diplomat who has seen copies of it circulating here at the G7 summit and two additional sources.So we have four sources is Iran will of the or it will issue waivers for some of the sanctions immediately upon the signing of this memorandum of understanding.And so those are some of what is included in the document.It's 14 points long.And I do want to pull out one of the

14 points specifically as it relates to to Iran's nuclear program because I think this is important and this, at the end of the day, is one of the reasons that the president has said that he started the war in the first place is to eliminate Iran's ability to obtain a nuclear weapon.And this is what the Memorandum of Understanding says on this point.It's point number eight.All other mutually agreed nuclear -related issues, including Iran's nuclear needs, will be adequately addressed in a final agreement.The final agreement will confirm the provisions of this article.extended.

You know, we have been talking to American officials about the language in this document.And in a lot of ways, they have been downplaying it.They have suggested that this is essentially a political document meant to create the conditions to get Iran to the table for these much more technical negotiations going forward.But I still think The lack of specificity around the nuclear issues, I think, will be a surprise to some people who have been following all this.And in particular, the fact that it doesn't say anywhere in the document that the United States will be involved in the destruction.of Iran.

of those provisions because of these back -channel commitments that they've received as part who will argue that the U .S.is putting too much faith in the Iranians' word in all of this, and not necessarily in what they're willing to put in writing in these documents.But certainly what you've heard from the president over the last days, including here at the G7, is really proclaiming this as a triumph, you know, talking about how he was able to secure some of these commitments from Iran, and suggesting that the future negotiations will, in fact, be easier.

But just reading the document and reading all of the issues that are left to those future negotiations, I think it's clear that there are still some very difficult talks to come.can start selling its oil.I mean, what do you make, what stands out to you about this 14 point memorandum?

I think the main point here is that we're paying Iran to open the strait.So we're literally giving them sanctions relief so they have the ability to sell oil right away.Okay.but I are on Sunday.But I think that the other parts of this in terms of complete sanctions relief about release of the frozen assets.So that could be anywhere from 24 billion to 74 billion if China releases all of the 20 to 50 that they have.

And then the promise of a 300 million reconstruction fund and the parameters of that agreed within the next 60 days.So all of that relief happens within this 60 -day ceasefire and opening the strait, whereas all the nuclear information and discussion is literally said will be done in the next phase.So I'll stop there because Peter, I'm sure has a lot to add.

I do want to ask you, Peter, you know, as you know, this region so well, it doesn't take U .S.intelligence agencies to tell us that Iran now has demonstrated it can shut down the Strait of Hormuz kind of whenever it wants to.Did this war just in the immediate term, at least, give Iran a new power?

Well, short answer, yes.I mean, this was a spectacular own goal by the Trump administration.Not only can they close down the Strait of Hormuz, but they could theoretically also get their Houthi proxies to close down the Red Sea approaches to the Suez Canal if they really wanted to up the ante.And I agree with everything Beth said.I think this is an agreement that is pretty favorable to Iran.particularly these waivers on the existing oil sales and also waivers on their banking system that allows them to really pick up their economy, which is in free fall.

The last time I checked, inflation in Iran was at 67%.So they have some real economic problems that this will help them with.The other big thing in this agreement is that the war will stop, including in Lebanon, very clearly says.That's the first point of the agreement, which I have in front of me.There's a reason that CNN reported that Israel didn't get a look at this agreement when it requested Because of course Israel would not be happy with this and Prime Minister Netanyahu faces a dilemma, which is he has an election coming up the people in the right in his parliamentary coalition want him to continue fighting Hezbollah in Lebanon.At the same time, he wants to placate Trump, who's been very clear that he wants this war in Lebanon to stop.

And Trump is quite popular in Israel.So this poses a bit of a dilemma for Netanyahu, and he's going to be presented with a fait accompli, which is that the United States has said that the war should end in Lebanon.

Yeah, I mean, does he, you know, upset the far right in his party or does he upset the United States?Those are two things as he is facing re -election that he has to grapple with.Beth, I'm curious, you know, so far the administration has not actually released this.This is reporters getting a look at drafts.What would be the reason not to release the text?

Yeah, well, unlike J .D.Vance, who said he can't understand why there's so much sensitivity and the mediators don't want to release it.He didn't really understand that.Well, I think it's pretty clear why, as Peter said, Prime Minister Netanyahu would break a gasket if he saw this and could very well upset the apple cart by, you know, going maybe doing more action in Lebanon.We already saw a continuing bombing in Lebanon today.

And so that is huge.But also in Iran, you know, this isn't a complete fait accompli in Iran and their hardliners.Certainly, I will call them ultra hardliners because all of them are hardliners.They are not easy targets.deal with moderates, as the president has described them.But they're ultra hardliners who absolutely don't want this deal.

And then in the United States, right, we've already had even Republican stalwarts, supporters of President Trump, like Lindsey Graham, speaking out.So we know why it's quiet.It's because it could scuttle the whole thing if they released it.

I'm going to talk with you about number five in this memorandum that CNN has obtained, where they say that the Islamic Republic of Iran will immediately take steps to ensure the movement of merchant ships from the Persian Gulf to the Sea of Oman and vice versa within 30 days, they say, to pre -war volume, since before US -Israeli strikes.But then it says, taking into account the need for the removal of technical obstacles and neutralization of mines by Iran.So to be clear, there are still obstacles, physical danger in the Strait of Hormuz?

Absolutely.In fact, when you take a look at the brass tacks of this, we have to ask ourselves as Americans, was this war worth the cost in lives and dollars?And when you talk about what this agreement looks like right now, I mean, as a military planner, you think about if this agreement allows us to dictate terms, we sold this as a major victory, and that should give us the ability to dictate the terms.And it looks like the opposite has happened here.ability to hold the strait at risk and also hold infrastructure at risk.So I would describe this as fragile at best.

And we should, I think, pump the brakes when it comes to talking about this as an agreement and really mostly a memorandum that sets the conditions for more discussion.

Why do you think that Iran still has power based on this agreement?And I ask because I don't think Iran would agree unless it saw something in here that they felt they could spend time on beginning on Friday when the administration hostedsign this.

accurate drones and accurate ballistic missiles gives you that ability.And I think Iran really is weighing that going forward and keeping that leverage point.

But you're calling it a leverage point.Can't it be said that, you know, it was a double blockade, that the U .S.also imposed a blockade in the region?And I was reading just from Reuters just in the last day that the U .S.

was able to smuggle millions of barrels of oil through the Strait, despite Iran's claims of a total blockade.And then Vice President J .D.Vance appeared to confirm this.I want to play this for you.

Yeah, sure.We shut down any access they had to the Strait of Hormuz.They couldn't get anything in or out.But while that was happening, we were getting sometimes it was 12 million barrels.Sometimes it was three to four million barrels.But it averaged out to many millions of barrels every single day that us and the Arab allies were getting out of the Strait of Hormuz.

Iran was getting nothing.So there he is on the Megyn Kelly show.He's been talking about the Iran deal.Can you address this?Because doesn't this undermine the idea that Iran sort of has all the leverage with the Strait of Hormuz now?

Yeah, I think you need to talk about the orders of magnitude in this particular situation.And again, it's a testament to our US military and their ability to adapt to the situation and create channels where we can increase the flow.So I think it's a good step.But we have to take a look at a standard flow prior to which we're We're really talking about orders of.magnitude greater than what we're moving right now.And so the agreement is going to be important to restoring to pre -war levels of movement and allowing oil to get to markets.

Even though we had both sides being blocked, the impact on the global supply chain and energy markets is still significant to this day.And so we need that broader flow in order to get us to where we were before.