WASHINGTON, May 29 — US and Iranian negotiators have reached a tentative agreement on a 60-day ceasefire extension and framework for nuclear talks, American sources confirmed Thursday to Anadolu.
US sources said President Donald Trump has not yet given his final approval to the memorandum of understanding, despite negotiators from both sides largely finalising the terms.
However, Vice President JD Vance officially confirmed later Thursday that the US and Iran are now “very close” to signing the historic document.
“We’re going back and forth on a couple of language points. We’ve made a lot of progress here,” Vance said.
“Hopefully, we’ll continue to make progress and the president will be in a position where he can endorse the agreement, but obviously that’s still TBD (to be determined),” he added. “I can’t guarantee that we’re going to get there…but right now, I feel pretty good about (it).”
Anadolu Ajansi reported, citing Axios that a broader deal addressing Washington’s demands on Iran’s nuclear programme would require further negotiations.
US officials cited by the news outlet said Iranian negotiators later informed mediators that they secured the necessary approvals and were ready to sign the agreement, although Tehran has not publicly confirmed the claim.
The report said US negotiators briefed Trump on the proposal, but the president requested additional time before making a decision.
“The president relayed to the mediators that he wants a couple of days to think about it,” Axios quoted a US official as saying.
Under the proposed memorandum, commercial shipping through the Strait of Hormuz would remain “unrestricted,” Axios reported. Iran would also be required to remove all mines from the strategic waterway within 30 days and refrain from imposing tolls or harassing vessels.
The report added that the US naval blockade would be lifted gradually in line with the restoration of commercial shipping activity.
The memorandum would also include an Iranian commitment not to pursue nuclear weapons and would prioritise negotiations on Tehran’s highly enriched uranium stockpile and enrichment activities during the 60-day period, according to Axios.
In return, the US would agree to discuss sanctions relief and the release of frozen Iranian funds as part of the talks, while the memorandum would also include mechanisms aimed at facilitating the delivery of goods and humanitarian aid to Iran.
