Senior Iranian lawmaker Ahmad Nabavian detailed what he says is a troubling clause in the emerging US-Iran memorandum of understanding: a commitment to reopen the Strait of Hormuz with "safe and UNLIMITED passage" within 30 days. Nabavian argued the wording forces Iran to remove all military obstacles and mines itself, then let all commercial shipping pass freely — leaving the IRGC no room to manage or control traffic. He accused officials who claim the text has changed of refusing to show the exact wording.
Senior Iranian lawmaker Ahmad Nabavian continued to escalate his warnings Saturday evening, now stating that the emerging US-Iran memorandum of understanding includes a clause committing Iran to reopening the Strait of Hormuz with "safe and unlimited passage" within 30 days. Reading directly from a draft, he said the text requires Iran to handle "removal of technical and military obstacles and demining" itself, then allow all commercial shipping to pass freely — leaving the IRGC no room to manage or control traffic. Nabavian accused unnamed officials who claim the wording has changed of refusing to show the exact text.
As The Zioneer has reported in a series of updates since 18:33 Jerusalem, Nabavian first flagged the clause at that hour, warning it lacked explicit Iranian control language. A second report minutes later noted the US had reportedly demanded adding "without any restrictions" to the shipping clause. By 18:51, Nabavian told a negotiator the draft would surrender Iranian control for the initial 60 days. Over this sequence, the lawmaker has moved from raising a legal concern to reading a specific clause — including a 30-day demining deadline and the word "unlimited" — while no other Iranian official has confirmed or denied the wording.
Background context in The Zioneer's reporting shows the broader negotiating environment: Washington signaled on Jun 12 that it thinks a deal is near, while Iran simultaneously hardened demands for the release of $24 billion in frozen funds and claimed its red lines — including keeping missiles and proxies off the table — had been met. Iran's chief of staff also declared full control of the Strait of Hormuz on Jun 12, a posture the emerging MOU clause would directly contradict.
Nabavian did not claim the text is final, but called for the full draft to be made public. No other Iranian official has confirmed the specific wording he cited, and the lawmaker's account remains a single-source claim.
3 developments
- DevelopingNabavian: US-Iran draft brings Oman into Strait of Hormuz management, crossing Khamenei's red line
- ConfirmedIran's Tasnim adds details on US-Iran MOU: last-minute changes, Hormuz opening delayed
- DevelopingNabavian: US-Iran draft clause on troop withdrawal is dangerously vague
- StrongIranian chief of staff claims full control of Strait of Hormuz, threatens shipping
Source and signal
- Internal intake