18/06/2026 21:04 - Internacionales
Documento confidencial sobre mesa de negociaciones diplomáticas con banderas de Estados Unidos e Irán de fondo, iluminación dramática que representa la tensión de las negociaciones nucleares secretas
The preliminary agreement between the United States and Iran that President Donald Trump commemorated during the G7 summit at the Palace of Versailles on June 17, 2026, has a much more complex background than it appears. According to three US officials familiar with the negotiations, one regional official, and one former US official who spoke to CNN, there exists a series of secret proposals designed to implement the 14 points of the memorandum of understanding, but Iran has not signed any of these additional documents.
This revelation raises serious questions about whether the US government has overstated the commitments obtained from the Iranian side and underscores the fragility of a process that could fail before reaching a definitive agreement.
Vice President J.D. Vance confirmed the existence of what the administration calls "gentlemen's agreements" that go beyond the official memorandum of understanding. Vance clarified in statements to CNN: "Some of them are in writing, but fundamentally, whether written or said, that's why we structured the deal the way we did, because we don't trust words, we trust action and we trust conduct."
A 60-day period for technical negotiations beginning June 19, 2026
US negotiators chose to publish the memorandum of understanding without waiting for the Iranian leadership to approve the more detailed proposals. According to a source familiar with the information, it would have required additional time to obtain formal approval from Iran for those proposals, so the United States decided to move forward with the MOU and leave the details for subsequent discussions.
Arms control expert Jeffrey Lewis was blunt: "There is no national security reason to keep secret the type of information that was public under the JCPOA. The devil is in the details, and someone doesn't want us to see one of the devils."
The lack of transparency has sparked fierce criticism within the Republican Party itself. Critics point out that Trump is doing exactly what he criticized former President Barack Obama for in 2015, when Republicans attacked what they called "secret side agreements".
Congress passed a law requiring that any nuclear agreement with Iran, including any side agreement or verbal understanding, be presented to Capitol Hill.
Trump responded on Truth Social: "The Obama Deal was a pathway to a nuclear weapon for Iran... Our Deal is a WALL against Iran getting a nuclear weapon, the complete opposite."
Among the auxiliary proposals, there exist "mutual understandings" regarding whether Iran will be permitted to continue enriching uranium at any level. This was one of the most controversial points during the original JCPOA negotiations in 2015 and remains a political hurdle for both sides.
Trump administration officials argue that the MOU and "gentlemen's agreements" are "performance-based", designed solely to reward Iran for good behavior. Critics maintain that it provides immediate benefits to Iran in the form of sanctions relief without any enforceable agreement on concessions in its nuclear program.
| Date | Event |
|---|---|
| June 17, 2026 | Memorandum signed at Versailles during G7 summit |
| June 19, 2026 | Formal ceremony in Bürgenstock, Switzerland |
| Starting June 19, 2026 | 60-day period for technical negotiations |
| 30 days | Deadline for total lifting of maritime blockade |
As expert Jeffrey Lewis noted: "If negotiators want to reach a final agreement, someone will have to yield. Which explains why they would want to keep the information classified." Both sides have drawn such firm public red lines that any meaningful compromise may be out of reach or too politically damaging to make public.
Source: CNN, official US government statements.
Alfredo S. Quiroga
