US and Iran Edge Closer to Deal, but Key Disputes Remain, Vance Says

by Jack Diffley

Link to Washington and Tehran have reportedly agreed on the outline of a possible deal to extend the ceasefire and reopen talks on Iran’s nuclear programme, but US Vice-President JD Vance says final approval has not yet been reachedWashington and Tehran have reportedly agreed on the outline of a possible deal to extend the ceasefire and reopen talks on Iran’s nuclear programme, but US Vice-President JD Vance says final approval has not yet been reached

vance The United States and Iran are moving closer to a possible agreement, but several unresolved issues still stand in the way of a final deal, US Vice-President JD Vance has said.

Speaking in Washington, Vance said negotiators were still working through “a couple of language points”, including the sensitive question of uranium enrichment. Asked whether President Donald Trump was close to signing an agreement, he said it was too early to say “when or if” the two sides would complete the process.

“We’re not there yet, but we’re very close and we’re going to keep on working at it,” Vance told reporters, adding that Washington believed Iranian negotiators were acting in “good faith”.

Earlier on Thursday, US officials said Washington and Tehran had agreed on the framework of a possible deal, described as a memorandum of understanding, which would still require approval from both Trump and Iran’s leadership.

According to reports, the proposal would extend the current ceasefire for 60 days and open negotiations on the future of Iran’s nuclear programme. It could also allow unrestricted passage through the Strait of Hormuz, one of the world’s most important energy routes, and give Iran 30 days to remove mines from the waterway.

In exchange, the United States would reportedly lift its blockade and issue sanctions waivers allowing Iran to resume oil exports. Around one-fifth of the world’s liquefied natural gas and oil usually passes through the Strait of Hormuz, making the issue central not only to the conflict but also to global energy markets.

Iranian media, however, reported that no agreement had been finalised or confirmed. The semi-official Tasnim news agency said the framework remained under discussion.

The uncertainty was deepened by conflicting accounts from both sides. Iranian state media reported details of what it described as an unofficial 14-point draft memorandum, including the lifting of Washington’s naval blockade of Iranian ports, the withdrawal of US forces from areas near Iran, and the restoration of non-military traffic through the Strait of Hormuz under Iranian and Omani management.

The White House dismissed that version as a “complete fabrication”.

Since the ceasefire came into effect on April 8, Trump has repeatedly suggested that a deal was close. So far, however, no substantive agreement has been announced. The president is under growing pressure to bring the conflict to an end, including from Gulf allies, Democrats opposed to the war, and some Republicans concerned about the length and cost of the confrontation.

The nuclear issue remains the most difficult obstacle. Washington has long demanded that Iran stop producing highly enriched uranium and dispose of its existing stockpile, which could theoretically be used to develop nuclear weapons. Tehran insists its nuclear programme is peaceful and denies seeking a bomb.

Trump has suggested that Iran’s enriched uranium could be removed by the United States, diluted jointly with Iran, or processed in a third country. Any such arrangement would require detailed technical talks and a level of trust that remains fragile.

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent also declined to confirm that a deal had been reached, saying it would be a mistake to speak ahead of the president’s decision.

“It is all going to be the president’s decision,” he said. Asked whether a peace deal could include reconstruction support for Iran, Bessent replied that both sides first needed to reach an agreement.

The ceasefire itself remains unstable. In recent days, Washington and Tehran have accused each other of violations. Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said it had targeted a US base in the region after fresh American strikes in southern Iran. Iranian state media also claimed that Iranian forces had shot down a US aircraft, possibly a drone.

US Central Command denied the report, saying no American aircraft had been shot down and that all US air assets were accounted for.

For now, the talks appear to be closer to a diplomatic opening than a finished agreement. The framework may offer both sides a way to extend the ceasefire and avoid a return to full-scale combat, but the hardest questions — sanctions, military deployments, the Strait of Hormuz and Iran’s nuclear programme — remain unresolved.

L'articolo US and Iran Edge Closer to Deal, but Key Disputes Remain, Vance Says proviene da Associated Medias.