U.S. And Iranian Negotiators Reach Tentative Deal To Extend Ceasefire And Start New Nuclear Talks

WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. and Iranian negotiators reached a tentative agreement Thursday to extend the deal. truce Ending the 3-month war within 60 days and starting a new round of negotiations About Iran’s nuclear programAccording to a US official familiar with the matter.

Iran did not immediately ratify any agreement. On Thursday evening, Vice President J.D. Vance confirmed there was a tentative agreement but said it was unclear whether President Donald Trump would approve it.

“It’s hard to say exactly if or when the president will sign it,” Vance told reporters.

He added: “We’re going back and forth on a few language issues.”

The resulting memorandum of understanding emerged as a fragile ceasefire war Relations between the United States and Iran appear shaky. The latest flare-up in hostilities occurred less than a day ago, when Kuwait intercepted missiles fired from Iran, according to U.S. Central Command.

The memorandum makes clear that Iran cannot impose tolls Strait of Hormuz Iran will have to clear all mines in the vital waterway within 30 days, according to the official, who was not authorized to comment publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity.

During the war, Iran effectively closed the strait, which is the transit point for approximately one-fifth of the world’s oil and natural gas trade. Its closure caused oil prices to skyrocket worldwide. U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent predicted at a press conference on Thursday that the cost of oil “could come down very quickly” once the deal is finalized.

Iran has said it is allowing some commercial ships to pass – about two dozen a day in recent days. more than 100 per day before the war – but also of the Islamic Republic tolls at least for some ships. Established an official order watchdog agency incentive earlier this month New US sanctions This week.

According to the interim agreement, the USA will gradually remove its naval forces blockade of Iranian ports He would also agree to ease sanctions by allowing Iran to sell more oil.

But even as news of the potential deal emerged, the U.S. Treasury Department imposed additional sanctions on the Iranian military’s oil sales arm. The new penalties, first reported by the Associated Press, expand the Trump administration’s economic pressure campaign on the Islamic Republic.

Details of the interim agreement emerged for the first time Reported by news outlet Axios.

Among the first issues to be discussed during the 60-day ceasefire will be what happens to Iran’s highly enriched uranium, the first official said. The Islamic Republic has 440.9 kilograms (972 pounds) of uranium enriched to 60 percent purity; That’s a short, technical step from the weapons-grade level of 90 percent. International Atomic Energy Agency.

Vance suggested Thursday evening that negotiators were trying to determine the general terms for highly enriched uranium included in the interim agreement, and that details would be determined in subsequent talks.

The ongoing back-and-forth talks include “nuclear issues, highly enriched stockpiles, as well as a number of issues related to the enrichment issue,” Vance said.

Iran has made no public commitment to give up the stockpile. It is believed to be buried under three nuclear facilities that were heavily damaged in US airstrikes last year.

Nuclear analysts have said Iran could consider China or Russia, which have close ties with Tehran, as potential acceptable third parties to acquire enriched uranium. But Trump said Wednesday he “wouldn’t be comfortable” with such a plan.

Although Trump and his team have said from the beginning of the conflict that one of their primary goals was to ensure that Iran never acquires nuclear weapons, Vance framed the war’s successes as something much less certain.

“We are in a position to significantly roll back nuclear programs, not just during this president’s term but over the long term,” Vance said. “This is a very, very good thing for the American people.”

Iran, which has long maintained that its program is peaceful, has insisted that any deal must include an end to Israel’s military operations in Lebanon against the Iran-backed militant group Hezbollah. Tensions deepened in Lebanon on Thursday with the Israeli crisis launched an air strike Other strikes in the southern suburb of the capital Beirut and in the southern coastal city of Tire. At least 14 people were killed in the south of the country.

Kuwait announced on Thursday that its air defense systems had intercepted incoming missiles and drones, without providing details of what was targeted. Iran announced that it opened fire on a US base in a Gulf country, which it did not name, in retaliation for the attacks earlier in the week.

Kuwait’s State Department condemned Iran for what it called “blatant aggression” and U.S. Central Command called the attack on one of America’s most important allies in the Persian Gulf a “horrific ceasefire violation.” Before the ceasefire began in April, Kuwait had come under repeated fire from Iran and Iran-backed Shiite militias in Iraq.

The change comes after U.S. officials said late Wednesday that American forces were taking action. more strikes Against Iran, four one-way attack UAVs posing a threat around the strait were shot down, and the Iranian ground control station in Bandar Abbas, which was about to launch the fifth UAV, was hit.

Iran’s paramilitary Revolutionary Guard acknowledged the attack around Bandar Abbas International Airport and said via the state-run IRNA news agency that it had launched a retaliatory attack on the air base that launched the attacks. The Revolutionary Guard did not specify whether the response targeted Kuwait, which hosts the forward headquarters of the US Army Headquarters, air bases and a naval base.

On Monday, the United States announced that this had been achieved What the Pentagon calls “self-defense” attacks At missile launch sites and mine-laying boats in southern Iran.

Although they exchanged accusations of strikes and ceasefire violations, Washington and Tehran did not return to full-scale hostilities and continued negotiations.

“Truces are always a little messy,” but “very gripping,” Vance said.

The region’s governor, Masood Tangestani, told state broadcaster IRIB later Thursday that Iranian defenses destroyed a “hostile aircraft” around the southern city of Jam. No other information was immediately available.

Gambrell reported from Dubai, United Arab Emirates. Metz reported from the West Bank city of Ramallah. Associated Press writers Konstantin Toropin and Matthew Lee in Washington and Jennifer Peltz and Farnush Amiri in New York contributed to this report.