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 begin negotiations toward a permanent end to the war, officials said.
U.S. officials told Al Jazeera on Thursday that the framework still requires final approval from President Donald Trump. If the deal is finalized, it would be a major breakthrough after weeks of diplomatic deadlock.
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However, details of the tentative agreement remain unclear. It is also unclear whether the 60-day extension means a deadline for negotiations. The ongoing ceasefire is already open-ended.
The memorandum of understanding was expected to be signed after sporadic skirmishes between the United States and Iran in the Gulf threatened to undermine the ceasefire agreement. The two sides exchanged limited attacks early Thursday.
Axios first reported the tentative deal early Thursday. The White House confirmed the report to Al Jazeera.
According to Axios, the agreement provides for “unrestricted” shipping traffic in the Strait of Hormuz and for the US to lift its naval blockade of Iranian ports.
Tehran claims sovereignty over the strategic waterway, saying it must be jointly controlled by Iran and Oman because it passes through their territorial waters.
But the United States rejects any form of Iranian control, including any toll system in the Strait of Hormuz.
Earlier Thursday, U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent also threatened sanctions against Oman, a close ally of Washington, if it facilitates the imposition of fees on ships passing through the strait.
Bessent later declined to confirm the details of the reported deal, suggesting there was no way any deal would meet Trump’s red lines.
“It’s always a mistake to run before the president, and it’s all the president’s decision,” Bessent told reporters.
He added that President Trump has made clear three conditions for Iran: restarting Hormuz, abandoning its highly enriched uranium stockpile, and ending its nuclear program.
Iranian authorities deny the report
Iran’s semi-state news agency Tasnim, citing people close to the negotiations, denied claims by U.S. officials that a deal was imminent.
“Once the document is indeed finalized, Iran will present the matter to the mediators and people of Pakistan. And until then, any narrative by Western sources about the finalization of the matter is not valid,” the spokesperson said.
In addition to a waterway agreement, the reported memorandum also calls for Iran to commit not to pursue nuclear weapons.
But the Iranian government has already publicly stated its commitment multiple times. Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, who was killed by the United States and Israel on February 28, the first day of the war, had issued a religious edict against weapons of mass destruction.
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian reiterated Thursday that his country “does not seek nuclear weapons.”
“We will not engage in diplomacy that involves humiliation,” he said, according to Iran’s ISNA news agency.
The reported deal could resolve the Hormuz issue, but other outstanding issues, such as continued US sanctions and the future of Iran’s uranium stockpile, will need to be addressed in future talks.
Iran has maintained its right to enrich uranium domestically, which is not prohibited under the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT). But President Trump has stressed the need to dismantle the country’s entire nuclear program.
The United States has also called for limits on Iran’s production of missiles and drones, but Tehran has ruled out negotiations over defense policy.
Another problem is the escalating war in Lebanon. Israel has stepped up attacks, killing dozens of people in the past few weeks and issuing forced evacuation orders for Lebanon’s two largest cities in southern Lebanon.
Iran’s ally Hezbollah has also stepped up its drone attacks against invading Israeli forces.
Israel bombed Beirut on Thursday for the second time in three weeks. It was the second attack on the Lebanese capital since a ceasefire was established in April.
Iran has previously said that any ceasefire must also include Lebanon.
Separately, the Lebanese government is negotiating directly with Israel to end the war. The United States has previously said Lebanon has supported and hosted separate Lebanese-Israeli talks but did not participate in the April ceasefire.
