US-Iran deal leaves core sticking points unresolved - and a $300bn question

US-Iran deal leaves core sticking points unresolved - and a $300bn questionTo play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser.This video can not be playedFigure caption, Watch: Three key takeaways from US-Iran agreementByDaniel BushWashington correspondentPublished17 June 2026Updated 18 June 2026The US-Iran memorandum of understanding announced on Wednesday amounts to a reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, and a deal to try to reach a final agreement on almost everything else.President Donald Trump framed it as a major win for the US in a lengthy press conference at the G7 summit in France. Both countries later confirmed the memo had been signed electronically on Wednesday and was now in effect.But new details released by US officials in a call with reporters confirm both countries still have a long way to go to reach a comprehensive final peace agreement that achieves Trump's primary goal of stopping Iran from ever developing nuclear weapons.Trump has insisted the deal ensures that Iran will never buy, develop or produce a nuclear weapon. But the text of this agreement, which was read aloud by officials on the call, falls short of that. Instead, the ceasefire extension jumpstarts a high-stakes scramble over 60 days for the two adversaries to achieve a lasting nuclear pact. It took the Obama administration 20 months of negotiations to reach the original Iran nuclear deal in 2015. Can the Trump administration do that in just two months?For now, the text of the deal only commits Iran to "downblending" its stockpile of highly enriched uranium, under the supervision of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). A senior US official on Wednesday called it a "significant concession" by Iran.Image source, Getty ImagesWhat's in the US-Iran agreement? Published5 days agoUS officials reveal details of Iran agreement as Trump says deal could be signed tomorrowBut all of the technical details of how that might happen, and on what ti...