Concerns Grow Over Iran Nuclear Commitments Amid Reliance on Unwritten Agreements.
Even as Washington welcomed the 14-point memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Tehran, much of the substantive negotiation is now being conducted behind closed doors.
According to CNN, the United States and Iran are quietly developing a series of confidential proposals that would define how the agreement is implemented in practice, including key technical and operational details that were left unresolved in the public framework.
The discussions also include sensitive details about the future of Iran’s nuclear programme, CNN reported, citing US officials familiar with the talks. The proposals are aimed at turning the broad commitments in the memorandum of understanding (MoU) into concrete implementation steps, including verification mechanisms and clear timelines for execution.
However, officials cautioned that the follow-up documents are still preliminary and have not yet been finalized.
‘Gentlemen’s agreements’
Speaking to CNN late Thursday, Vice President JD Vance acknowledged that at least some of the additional understandings — described by administration officials as “gentlemen’s agreements” that extend beyond the signed memorandum — have been reduced to writing.
Still, the arrangements remain politically fragile.
Iran has not signed any of the supplementary documents, unlike the original 14-point memorandum, raising new questions about whether the White House has overstated the commitments it has secured from Tehran.
The uncertainty also highlights how easily the negotiations could unravel before a comprehensive agreement is reached.
Speaking to CNN, JD Vance said: “Some of them are written down, but fundamentally, whether they’re written down or spoken, this is why we structured the deal that we did, because we don’t trust words, we trust action and conduct. We’re going to reward conduct, and we’re not going to reward any words, whether they’re written on a sheet of paper or not.”
The latest developments underscore the difficult path ahead.
While the memorandum of understanding (MoU) established a framework aimed at easing tensions after months of conflict, the most contentious issues — including limits on Iran’s nuclear activities, verification mechanisms, sanctions relief, and enforcement procedures — still require detailed negotiations before a final agreement can be reached.
Until those details are formally agreed upon by both sides, diplomats caution that the deal remains a work in progress, with significant political and security risks still looming.
What Ghalibaf said about Iran’s enriched uranium stockpile
Iranian negotiator Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf defended the US–Iran memorandum of understanding (MoU), saying Iran would “not surrender” its peaceful nuclear programme while still accepting measures intended to address proliferation concerns.
Iranian negotiator Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf said Iran would dilute — not surrender — its stockpile of highly enriched uranium.
He said the agreement calls for down-blending highly enriched uranium into lower-enriched material suitable for peaceful civilian use, rather than exporting it abroad or destroying it outright.
Ghalibaf stressed that Iran’s nuclear programme will continue, saying the country’s enrichment activities for civilian purposes will remain intact and that its scientific and technological capabilities will not be dismantled.
He also argued that Iran has not given up its sovereign rights, saying the memorandum of understanding preserves Iran’s right to a peaceful nuclear programme under international law while addressing concerns over weapons-grade material.
