U.S., Iranian negotiators reach agreement in principle to extend ceasefire and begin new nuclear talks

WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. and Iranian negotiators reached a tentative agreement Thursday to extend a ceasefire in the three-month-old war by 60 days and begin a new round of negotiations on Iran’s nuclear program, according to a U.S. official familiar with the matter.

Iran did not immediately confirm any agreement. Vice President JD Vance confirmed Thursday evening that a deal in principle existed, but said it was unclear whether President Donald Trump would approve it.

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

He added: “We discuss some linguistic points.”

WATCH: Vance says US, Iran making progress, but Trump’s support unclear

The new memorandum of understanding came as the fragile ceasefire in the war between the United States and Iran appeared to be faltering. The latest resumption of fighting occurred less than a day earlier, when Kuwait intercepted missiles fired from Iran, according to U.S. Central Command.

The proposal concerns the Strait of Hormuz

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

WATCH: A close-up look at the Strait of Hormuz from land and water

During the war, Iran effectively closed the strait, which was the conduit for about a fifth of the world’s traded oil and natural gas. Its closure caused oil prices to skyrocket around the world. U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent predicted at a news conference Thursday that the cost of oil could “go down very quickly” once the deal is finalized.

Iran has said it is letting some commercial ships through — about two dozen a day in recent days, compared with more than 100 a day before the war — but the Islamic Republic has also imposed tolls on at least some ships. He created an official monitoring agency earlier this month, triggering a new round of U.S. sanctions this week.

WATCH: Giving Iran control of the Strait of Hormuz would be a mistake, says Bolton

Under the agreement in principle, the United States would gradually lift its naval blockade on Iranian ports and also agree to ease sanctions, allowing Iran to sell more of its oil.

Yet even as news of a possible deal surfaced, the U.S. Treasury Department imposed additional sanctions on the Iranian military’s oil sales arm. The new sanctions, first reported by The Associated Press, continue the Trump administration’s economic pressure campaign on the Islamic Republic.

Details of the tentative agreement were first reported by media outlet Axios.

The nuclear question is still not resolved

Among the first issues to be negotiated during the 60-day ceasefire is the fate of Iran’s highly enriched uranium, the first official said. The Islamic Republic has 440.9 kilograms (972 pounds) of uranium enriched to 60% purity, a short technical step compared to weapons-grade levels of 90%, according to the International Atomic Energy Agency.

READ MORE: Trump tells PBS News Iran won’t get sanctions relief in exchange for giving up highly enriched uranium

Vance suggested Thursday evening that negotiators were trying to find general terms on highly enriched uranium laid out in the tentative agreement, with details to be worked out in negotiations that follow.

Vance said the continued exchanges involved “some questions about nuclear material, highly enriched stockpiles, as well as the question of enrichment.”

Iran has not publicly committed to abandoning its stockpiles. It is believed to be buried beneath three nuclear sites badly damaged by US airstrikes last year.

Nuclear analysts have said Iran could view China or Russia, which has close relations with Tehran, as potentially acceptable third parties to take possession of the enriched uranium. But Trump said Wednesday he “would not be comfortable” with such a plan.

Although Trump and his team declared from the start of the conflict that one of their main goals was to ensure that Iran could never possess nuclear weapons, Vance presented the war’s achievements as something far less definitive.

“We are in a position where we could significantly reduce their nuclear program, 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 its peaceful agenda, has insisted that any deal must include an end to Israeli military operations in Lebanon against the Iranian-backed militant group Hezbollah. Tensions escalated in Lebanon on Thursday as Israel carried out an airstrike on a southern suburb of the capital, Beirut, and other strikes in the southern coastal city of Tyre. At least 14 people were killed in the south of the country.

Kuwait reports attack

Kuwait announced Thursday that its air defense systems had intercepted missiles and drones, without specifying what had been targeted. Iran said it responded to strikes earlier this week by firing on a U.S. base in an unnamed Gulf state.

WATCH: Iran says US acted in ‘bad faith’ after strikes during peace talks

The Kuwaiti Foreign Ministry condemned Iran for what it called “blatant aggression,” and U.S. Central Command called the attack on one of the United States’ main allies in the Persian Gulf a “blatant violation of the ceasefire.” Kuwait repeatedly came under fire from Iran and Iran-backed Shiite militias in Iraq before the April ceasefire began.

The exchange came after U.S. officials said Wednesday evening that U.S. forces launched new strikes against Iran, shooting down four one-way attack drones that posed a threat around the strait and hitting an Iranian ground control station in Bandar Abbas that was about to launch a fifth drone.

Iran’s paramilitary Revolutionary Guards acknowledged the attack around Bandar Abbas International Airport and said via the official IRNA news agency that they had launched a retaliatory attack on the airbase that carried out the assaults. The Revolutionary Guards did not say whether the response was aimed at Kuwait, which is home to the US military’s forward headquarters, air bases and a naval base.

On Monday, the United States said it had carried out what the Pentagon called “self-defense” strikes against missile launch sites and mine-laying boats in southern Iran.

Even though they have exchanged strikes and accusations of ceasefire violations, Washington and Tehran have not resumed large-scale hostilities and continue to negotiate.

Vance said “ceasefires are always a little complicated,” but they “hold up very well.”

Later Thursday, Iranian defenses destroyed “a hostile aircraft” around the southern town of Jam, the region’s governor, Masood Tangestani, told state broadcaster IRIB. No further information was immediately available.

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

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