Kashmir Impulse Desk

Washington, May 29

US President Donald Trump said on Friday he would meet with senior advisers in the White House Situation Room to make a final decision on whether to move forward with a proposed deal to extend the ceasefire between the United States and Iran.

Trump’s remarks came a day after The Associated Press and other media outlets reported that US and Iranian negotiators had reached a tentative agreement to prolong the fragile truce by 60 days while further talks continue over Tehran’s disputed nuclear programme.

US Vice President JD Vance said on Thursday that negotiators were still debating “a couple of language points” and that it remained unclear whether Trump would approve the proposal.

Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf struck a cautious tone, saying Tehran would act only after concrete steps from Washington.

“Iran has no trust in guarantees or words, only actions,” Qalibaf wrote on X, adding that “no step will be taken before the other side acts.”

According to a US official familiar with the discussions, the proposed agreement would maintain the ceasefire in the three-month-old conflict for another 60 days and launch a new round of negotiations focused on Iran’s nuclear programme.

One of the first issues expected to be addressed would be the future of Iran’s stockpile of highly enriched uranium, the official said, speaking on condition of anonymity.

The International Atomic Energy Agency says Iran holds 440.9 kg of uranium enriched to up to 60 percent purity – a level close to weapons-grade material, which is generally considered to be around 90 percent.

Vance said talks were continuing over the uranium stockpile and Iran’s enrichment activities, with negotiators seeking to settle broad principles first before working out details in follow-up discussions.

“We’re in a position where we could substantially set back their nuclear programme, not just during the term of this president but over the long term,” Vance said. “That’s a very good thing for the American people.”

Iran has long maintained that its nuclear programme is for peaceful purposes and has not publicly committed to relinquishing the enriched uranium stockpile.

Nuclear analysts say Iran could consider transferring the material to a third country such as China or Russia, both of which maintain close ties with Tehran. Trump said earlier this week he would not be comfortable with such an arrangement.

The draft agreement would also require Iran to remove all naval mines from the Strait of Hormuz within 30 days and bar Tehran from imposing tolls on vessels using the strategic waterway, the U.S. official said.

Iran effectively closed the strait during the conflict, disrupting a route that handles roughly one-fifth of the world’s traded oil and natural gas and contributing to a sharp rise in global energy prices.

Iran has recently allowed limited commercial shipping through the waterway, though at significantly reduced levels compared with before the war.

Under the tentative deal, Washington would gradually ease its naval blockade of Iranian ports and relax some sanctions, allowing Tehran to increase oil exports.

Even as negotiations advanced, the U.S. Treasury Department imposed fresh sanctions this week targeting the Iranian military’s oil sales network, extending Washington’s economic pressure campaign against the Islamic Republic.

Iran has also said any final agreement must include an end to Israeli military operations in Lebanon against Hezbollah, the Iran-backed armed group.

Tensions remained high in Lebanon on Thursday after Israeli airstrikes hit Beirut’s southern suburbs and the coastal city of Tyre, killing at least 14 people, according to local authorities.

Since the ceasefire began around seven weeks ago, Washington and Tehran have traded accusations of violations and exchanged limited strikes, but both sides have so far stopped short of returning to full-scale conflict while continuing negotiations.