Trump Meets in White House Situation Room to Finalize Iran Ceasefire Extension Deal

US President Donald Trump held a meeting in the White House Situation Room to make a "final determination" on an agreement to extend a ceasefire with Iran, with the stated conditions that Iran must agree to never have a nuclear weapon or bomb and that the Strait of Hormuz be reopened for "unrestricted shipping traffic, in both directions".

The BBC reported that US officials said on Thursday the two countries had agreed a framework of a deal, known as a memorandum of understanding, pending approval by Trump and Iran’s leadership, and that the deal would reportedly extend the ceasefire for 60 days and launch talks on the future of Iran’s nuclear programme.

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The BBC also said Trump posted on Truth Social that he was prepared to lift the US blockade of the Strait of Hormuz and that ships caught in the waterway "may start the process of "heading home!"".

Iran earlier said it was not negotiating its nuclear programme, and the BBC reported that Iran’s foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei said it was "focused on ending the war, and there are no negotiations on the nuclear issue".

Vice-President JD Vance told reporters the US was "not there yet" even as he said negotiators were very close, pointing to sticking points including the "question of enrichment" and the highly enriched stockpile.

Vice-President JD Vance said the Trump administration is "very close" to agreeing to a deal with Iran that would reopen the Strait of Hormuz and extend the ceasefire by 60 days, but he added it was "not there yet" and that it was "still TBD" whether Trump would sign off.

Vance told reporters the memorandum of understanding would require unfettered shipping through the Strait of Hormuz without tolls and obligate Iran to remove mines from the waterway within 30 days, while the US would end a blockade of Iranian ports and waive some sanctions on oil sales.

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The BBC reported that Iran’s chief negotiator Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf said it has "no trust in guarantees or words, only actions" and that "No action will be taken before the other side acts,".

DW reported that after a Situation Room meeting lasting approximately two hours, a White House official told AFP that Trump would only accept a deal that "satisfies his red lines," and that "Iran can never possess a nuclear weapon."

DW also said Iran’s Fars agency cited sources disputing Trump’s claims and quoted the agency saying the comments were a "mixture of truth and lies".

The BBC said the ceasefire came into effect on 8 April and that Trump had repeatedly suggested the US and Iran were close to a deal, but that so far there had been no substantive results.

The BBC also described how the US and Israel launched strikes against Iran on 28 February, how Iran responded by attacking Israel and US-allied states in the Gulf, and how Iran effectively closed the strait, sending global oil prices soaring.

DW reported that Iran’s semi-official Fars news agency said Trump claimed Iran was obligated to open the Strait of Hormuz without tolls even though no such clause appears in the next of the agreement, and that the agency disputed claims that Iran and the US will work together to secure and destroy Iran's enriched uranium.

DW further reported that Iran was reportedly demanding the release of $12 billion (€10,28 billion) of frozen Iranian funds, with its representatives indicating they will not move to the next phase of negotiations "until this payment is made."

The BBC said the US has long demanded that Iran stop producing highly enriched uranium and dispose of its existing stockpile, while Iran insists its nuclear programme is entirely peaceful and denies it is seeking to develop nuclear weapons.