US and Iran Reach Tentative 60-Day Ceasefire Extension Pending Trump Approval

The United States and Iran reached a tentative agreement to extend their ceasefire for 60 days and launch negotiations on Iran’s nuclear programme, according to US officials cited by the BBC.

“The United States and Iran have reached a preliminary memorandum of understanding (MOU) to extend the ceasefire between the two countries for 60 days and start negotiations for permanently ending the war, according to officials”

Al Jazeera

The agreement is yet to be approved by President Donald Trump or the leadership in Iran, the officials told the BBC, while Iran’s semi-official Tasnim news agency quoted a source close to talks saying it had not been finalised or confirmed.

Al Jazeera

The BBC reported that Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said it targeted a US base in the region on Thursday, after fresh US strikes on southern Iran overnight.

The BBC also said the White House called the purported MOU draft a "complete fabrication," and it noted that one-fifth of the world’s liquefied natural gas and oil normally pass through the Strait of Hormuz.

The AP reported from WASHINGTON that U.S. and Iranian negotiators reached a tentative agreement Thursday to extend the ceasefire in the 3-month-old war by 60 days and start a new round of talks on Iran’s nuclear program, while Iran did not immediately confirm any deal and President Donald Trump has yet to sign off.

The AP said the memorandum makes clear that Iran will not be able to impose tolls on the Strait of Hormuz and that Iran will have to remove all mines from the vital waterway within 30 days, according to a U.S. official familiar with the matter.

The BBC reported that the report included the lifting of Washington's naval blockade of Iranian ports and the restoration of non-military traffic through the Strait of Hormuz with Iran and Oman in control of the management and routing of vessels, while the White House called the purported MOU draft a "complete fabrication."

Associated Press

The Hill said the MOU would reopen the Strait of Hormuz and commit to negotiating Iran’s nuclear enrichment program and U.S. sanctions on the regime, and it said Iran will not impose tolls on commercial ships attempting to transit the strait.

The Hill also reported that Tehran will begin demining the waterway through which 20 percent of the world’s oil and gas supply flows, and that if commercial shipping in the strait is restored, the U.S. Navy blockade will be removed.

In a White House news briefing cited by WJAR, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said, "Nothing is going to be on the table until the Strait of Hormuz is open," and he added that the president remains adamant about Iran's nuclear program.

The BBC said that doing so, however, would allow US and Iranian teams to discuss the far more complicated and technical issues at play, particularly about Iran's nuclear programme and its remaining stockpile of highly enriched uranium.

“US and Iran reach tentative deal to extend ceasefire, US officials say Negotiators for the US and Iran have agreed a framework of a deal that would extend their ceasefire for 60 days and launch negotiations on the future of Iran's nuclear programme, US officials say”

BBC

The AP reported that one of the first issues to be negotiated during the 60-day ceasefire is what will happen to Iran’s highly enriched uranium, and it said the Islamic Republic has 440.9 kilograms (972 pounds) of uranium enriched up to 60% purity.

The AP said Iran has not publicly committed to giving up the stockpile and that it is believed to buried under a trio of nuclear sites that were badly damaged by U.S. airstrikes last year.

The BBC reported that Trump has suggested the US could take it, or, together with Iran, dilute it in place or in a third location, and it said it is unclear what took place in the subsequent 24 hours or when—or even if—Trump will give his final approval for the agreement to extend the ceasefire.

The Hill said the MOU includes talks to assist Iran in getting humanitarian aid and that the agreement would also encompass Tehran’s pledge not to seek a nuclear weapon, while Iran has so far not confirmed if it accepts the tentative deal.