The 60-day agreement awaits final approval by Trump, a U.S. source said.
WASHINGTON—The United States and Iran have tentatively agreed upon a 60-day memorandum of understanding to extend their current ceasefire and enable further negotiations on Iran’s nuclear program, a U.S. government source has confirmed with The Epoch Times.
The deal is awaiting final sign-off by President Donald Trump, the source said on May 28. Axios was first to report the development.
The understanding was reached after Trump directed offensive military actions against Iran on Feb. 28, leading to 38 days of large-scale fighting before Washington and Tehran agreed to a ceasefire on April 7.
Tensions have remained high despite the ceasefire, and U.S. and Iranian forces have traded fire on several occasions, including multiple rounds overnight on May 27.
The U.S. Central Command said the latest Iranian actions, including drone launches targeting the Strait of Hormuz and missile launches targeting Kuwait, represent “egregious ceasefire violations.”
Iranian leaders have repeatedly said the country’s nuclear program is peaceful, though international observers remain skeptical.
After Iran lost access to economic relief when Trump pulled out of the Iran deal in 2018, Tehran began increasing its overall uranium stockpile and directing higher levels of enrichment purity, closing the distance to weapons-grade nuclear fuel, according to the International Atomic Energy Agency.
Last year, Trump ordered a series of limited strikes featuring B-2 Spirit stealth bombers and targeting Iranian uranium enrichment and conversion facilities. Since then, Trump has focused on how to dispossess Iran of its stockpile of highly enriched uranium, which may still be buried at the facilities targeted last year.
At a May 27 Cabinet meeting, Trump dismissed the idea of allowing Iran to transfer its uranium stocks to China or Russia, which are both nuclear-armed states.
“I wouldn’t be comfortable with that,” the president said.
Trump has instead offered three options: Iran turns its uranium stockpile over to the United States, destroys it in place, or otherwise agrees to destroy it under the supervision of nuclear oversight monitors.
This is a developing news report and will be updated with additional details.
By Ryan Morgan and Emel Akan
