US President Donald Trump said Friday he was holding a White House Situation Room meeting with advisers to make a “final determination” on whether to move forward with a deal to extend the Iran ceasefire and advance negotiations over Tehran’s nuclear programme.
“I will be meeting now, in the Situation Room, to make a final determination,” Trump said in a lengthy social media post.
The announcement came a day after reports said US and Iranian negotiators had reached a tentative agreement to extend the fragile ceasefire in the three-month-old conflict by 60 days while fresh talks are held on Iran’s disputed nuclear programme.
According to a US official familiar with the matter, the proposed agreement would continue the ceasefire for 60 days and begin a new round of negotiations focused on Iran’s nuclear activities, including the fate of its highly enriched uranium stockpile.
Trump reiterated that Iran must agree never to possess nuclear weapons and said enriched uranium stockpiles in Iran “will be unearthed by the United States... in close coordination and conjunction with the Islamic Republic of Iran, plus the International Atomic Energy Agency, and DESTROYED.”
Iran currently possesses 440.9 kilograms (972 pounds) of uranium enriched up to 60% purity, a short technical step from the 90% level considered weapons-grade, according to the International Atomic Energy Agency.
US Vice President JD Vance said negotiators were still debating “a couple of language points” and issues related to “the highly enriched stockpile, and also the question of enrichment”.
“We’re in a position where we could substantially set back their nuclear program, not just during the term of this president but over the long term,” Vance said. “That’s a very very good thing for the American people.”
Iran, which has long maintained that its nuclear programme is peaceful, has not publicly committed to surrendering the stockpile, believed to be buried beneath nuclear facilities heavily damaged in US airstrikes last year.
Nuclear analysts have suggested that Iran could consider China or Russia as third-party custodians of the enriched uranium, though Trump said earlier this week that he “wouldn’t be comfortable” with such an arrangement.
Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf struck a defiant tone on Friday, saying on X that Iran has “no trust in guarantees or words,” only actions, and that “no step will be taken before the other side acts.”
“We do not gain concessions through talks, but through missiles. In negotiations, we only make them understand that,” Qalibaf wrote, adding: “The winner of any agreement is the one who is better prepared for war the day after it is signed.”
The tentative agreement would also require Iran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz fully and remove all mines from the strategic waterway within 30 days, according to the US official.
In his post, Trump said Iran “will complete the immediate removal” of mines in the strait and that the US naval blockade of Iranian ports “will now be lifted,” allowing oil and other tankers to resume movement. However, it remained unclear whether Iran had formally agreed to those conditions or whether the blockade had already been lifted.
The Strait of Hormuz, through which about a fifth of the world’s traded oil and natural gas passes, has been heavily disrupted during the conflict. Iran has allowed limited commercial traffic in recent days but imposed tolls on some vessels and established a gatekeeper agency earlier this month, prompting a new round of US sanctions.
Under the proposed deal, the US would gradually ease its naval blockade and relax sanctions to allow Iran to increase oil exports. However, even as negotiations continued, the US Treasury Department imposed additional sanctions targeting the Iranian military’s oil sales network.
Trump also addressed reports that Iran had sought financial compensation related to the conflict and that Washington had floated possible investment proposals.
“No money will be exchanged, until further notice,” Trump wrote, adding that only “items, of far less importance, have been agreed to.”
Iran has also insisted that any agreement must include an end to Israeli military operations in Lebanon against the Iranian-backed Hezbollah group. Tensions remained high on Thursday after Israeli airstrikes in Beirut’s southern suburbs and the southern coastal city of Tyre killed at least 14 people.
Although the ceasefire has held for roughly seven weeks, the US and Iran have continued to accuse each other of violations while avoiding a return to full-scale hostilities and keeping diplomatic talks alive.
(With inputs from AP, AFP)
