US, Iran reach deal to extend ceasefire, but need Trump’s final approval: Report | Today’s news
The US and Iran have reached an agreement on a 60-day memorandum of understanding to extend the ceasefire and open talks on Iran’s nuclear program, but President Donald Trump has yet to give final approval.
According to Axios, U.S. officials said the terms of the deal were mostly agreed upon as of Tuesday, but both sides still needed senior leadership approval.
Read also | The US has imposed sanctions on Iran’s Gulf Straits Authority for controlling traffic in Hormuz
U.S. officials said the Iranians later came back and said they had the necessary approvals and were ready to sign.
Unlimited movement through Hormuz
Under the 60-day memorandum of understanding, shipping through the Strait of Hormuz will be “unrestricted” and there will be no tolls or harassment of ships passing through the waters. Iran will also have to remove all mines from the strait within 30 days.
Iran pledges not to seek nuclear weapons
As part of the deal, Iran will pledge not to seek a nuclear weapon, US officials said. The US, for its part, will undertake to discuss the easing of sanctions and the release of frozen Iranian funds as part of the negotiations.
Read also | US-Iran deal ‘95% there’, talks continue on Hormuz, uranium stockpile
Further, the memorandum of understanding will also include discussion of a mechanism to help Iran begin receiving goods and humanitarian aid, the officials said.
US-Iran War
The US and Israel launched an attack on Iran on February 28, which killed, among others, its then-supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Iran responded by targeting US bases and allies in the Middle East.
Although both sides agreed to a fragile ceasefire on April 8, hostilities continue, with each side accusing the other of violating the ceasefire agreement.
But they did not return to full hostilities and continued to negotiate. US President Donald Trump insists he is confident his administration is making progress in talks.
The US is attacking Iran’s Bandar Abbas
On Wednesday, the US Central Command (CENTCOM) carried out a second round of strikes in southern Iran, targeting a military checkpoint, missile platforms and mine-laying boats near Bandar Abbas.
Iran responded by launching a ballistic missile aimed at a US military base in Kuwait, which was successfully intercepted by Kuwaiti air defenses.
Kuwait condemned the attack and demanded that Iran immediately halt what it called a serious escalation.
Earlier on Monday, the US said it had carried out what the Pentagon called “self-defense” strikes against missile launch sites and mine-laying ships in southern Iran.
Read also | Trump tells Netanyahu no deal with Iran without dismantling nuclear program: Report
The latest attacks, while limited, have highlighted the fragility of negotiations to turn a flimsy ceasefire from early April into a lasting deal to end a three-month war that has killed thousands and reopen the vital shipping route through the Strait of Hormuz.
Meanwhile, Pakistan, which hosted the mediation talks, said its Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar would meet US Secretary of State Marco Rubio in Washington on Friday, although the meaning of his visit was unclear.
Trump is seeking a deal that will reopen the strait, which once carried about a fifth of all oil and natural gas traded. They are also trying to get Iran to give up its stockpile of highly enriched uranium. The war was unpopular in the US, and the closure of the Iran Strait sent oil prices skyrocketing, raising fuel prices around the world.
