U.S. and Iranian negotiators reached a tentative deal Thursday, aimed at extending the ceasefire as the countries begin a new round of talks over Iran’s nuclear program. President Donald Trump, however, still needs to sign off.
A tentative memorandum of understanding would extend the current ceasefire for 60 days, a U.S. official familiar with the negotiations told The Associated Press.
Iran has not immediately confirmed any deal, but Vice President JD Vance confirmed Thursday that the two sides have reached a preliminary agreement. He added that major questions still need to be resolved before any final deal can be reached.
“There are certain details that are going to have to be figured out, that are gonna take a little bit of time to figure out, I mean, just take, for example, even if you come to an agreement on, let’s say, destroying the enriched stockpile, how do you do it? When do you do it? How do you actually get access to it?”
“I think we’re making progress. We’re getting to a point where we could potentially sit down and settle these issues, but that requires us to make a little bit more progress. I can’t guarantee that we’re going to get there, but right now I feel pretty good about it.”
– Vice President JD Vance
When it comes to a stamp of approval from Trump, Vance said, “It’s hard to say exactly when or if the president’s going to sign.”
A weakening ceasefire
The news of a potential deal comes after the ceasefire has looked to be getting weaker and weaker, as both the U.S. and Iran exchanged strikes this week.
The U.S. called the strikes defensive, while Iran called them a breach of the ceasefire.
Additional sanctions
Even as talks continue, the U.S. is keeping pressure on Tehran.
The Treasury and State Departments announced new sanctions Thursday targeting Hong Kong-based companies the U.S. says help move and finance Iranian oil.
The state department said the sanctions target what it called the financial lifelines of Iran’s military and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.
It comes as oil prices dropped more than 1% Friday morning, to about $87 a barrel.
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