US And Iran Reach 60-Day Ceasefire Extension, Pending Trump Approval

The United States and Iran negotiators reached an agreement on a 60-day memorandum of understanding to extend the ceasefire and launch negotiations on Iran’s nuclear program, but President Donald Trump has yet to give final approval, U.S. sources told NewsNation.

“US, Iran reach MoU on 60-day truce, Trump’s approval pending The United States and Iran reportedly reached a preliminary memorandum of understanding (MOU) on Thursday, agreeing to extend the ceasefire between the two countries for a further 60 days and to begin negotiations for permanently ending the war, officials said”

Al Jazeera

NewsNation reported that the U.S. military slammed Iran for violating a fragile ceasefire after Kuwait reported coming under attack, with U.S. Central Command saying Kuwait intercepted missiles launched by Iran late Wednesday night and calling the Iranian attack on one of America’s top allies in the Persian Gulf an "egregious ceasefire violation."

Al Jazeera

Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said it had targeted the U.S. base responsible for an early-morning attack near Bandar Abbas airport and that any repeat would lead to a "more decisive response," Tasnim News Agency reported.

CBS News said the tentative agreement was pending Mr. Trump’s approval and that Iran had not yet provided a response to the latest version, while Vice President JD Vance said negotiators were "going back and forth" and making a lot of progress.

The same reporting described the ceasefire as fragile, with the Pentagon saying Kuwait intercepted an Iranian missile Thursday and with Iran accusing the U.S. of violating the truce and announcing retaliatory strikes on an American base.

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent told reporters that "nothing is on the table when it comes to Iran until the Strait of Hormuz is reopened and Iran turns over highly-enriched uranium," as the Trump administration used sanctions to try to shut down Iranian airlines’ access to fuel, landing rights and ticket sales.

Bessent also said, "State-owned Iranian airlines are outlaws," while CBS News reported that negotiators were still "going back and forth" on language points and that it was "still TBD" whether talks would reach a point where Mr. Trump could sign a deal.

CBS News

CBS News said Secretary of State Marco Rubio would meet with Pakistani Foreign Minister Muhammad Ishaq Dar on Friday in Washington at 10 a.m., with Rubio and Under Secretary for Political Affairs Allison Hooker meeting Dar as Pakistan helps mediate indirect talks between the U.S. and Iran.

NewsNation described U.S. Central Command saying it shot down five Iranian attack drones and struck a ground control station in Bandar Abbas that was about to launch a sixth drone, while Kuwait’s military said its air defense systems were intercepting missile and drone threats.

In parallel, NewsNation said Iranian state media reported a missile launch operation from the southern region of the country, while the destination of the missile was not clear.

Al Jazeera reported that the 60-day MOU would extend the ceasefire and begin negotiations for permanently ending the war, citing official U.S. sources that the framework still needed President Donald Trump’s final approval.

“Oil prices turned lower Thursday, erasing earlier gains, after U”

CNBC

Al Jazeera said the MOU would state that shipping through the Strait of Hormuz is to be "unrestricted", meaning there will be no tolls and no "harassment", and that Iran will have 30 days to remove all mines.

The same Al Jazeera report said the ongoing US naval blockade on Iranian ports would be lifted "in proportion to the restoration of commercial shipping" through the strait, while it also described a reported commitment from Iran not to work towards building a nuclear weapon.

Reuters, as carried by SWI swissinfo.ch, said four sources familiar with the matter told Reuters that the U.S. and Iran reached an understanding to extend the ceasefire by 60 days but that President Donald Trump had not yet signed off on it.

SWI swissinfo.ch added that the Axios report said the agreement would address how to deal with Iran’s stockpile of highly enriched uranium, which would be among the first issues to be discussed during the sixty-day period.