(Reuters/CCTV) – US media Axios reported on Thursday that US and Iranian negotiators have reached an agreement on a memorandum of understanding (MoU), while multiple Iran media outlets, citing sources familiar with the negotiation team, denied the report.
Citing US officials and sources, Axios reported that US and Iran negotiators have reached an agreement on a MoU to extend the ceasefire by 60 days and launch talks on Iran's nuclear programme, but US President Donald Trump has yet to give his final approval.
"The president relayed to the mediators that he wants a couple of days to think about it," a US official was quoted as saying.
Iran has also not confirmed its acceptance, though the report, citing US officials, claimed that the Iranian negotiators had said they had the necessary approvals and were prepared to sign.
The 60-day MoU will state that shipping transiting the Strait of Hormuz will be "unrestricted," said the report. A US official was quoted as saying that this means no tolls and no harassment and that Iran will have to remove all mines from the strait within 30 days.
The US naval blockade on all Iranian ports will also be lifted, but that will happen in proportion to the restoration of commercial shipping, one of the US officials said, adding that Washington would also issue some sanctions waivers to allow Tehran to sell oil freely.
The MoU will include an Iranian commitment not to pursue a nuclear weapon, the officials said. It will also state that the first issues to be negotiated during the 60-day window will be how to dispose of Iran's highly enrich uranium and how to address Iranian enrichment.
The White House will commit to discuss sanctions relief and the release of frozen Iranian funds as part of the negotiations, according to the report, adding that the MoU will also include a discussion of a mechanism to help Iran start receiving goods and humanitarian aid.
US Secretary of the Treasury Scott Bessent refused to confirm that the US and Iran had reached an agreement on the MoU when responding to a media query on Thursday, saying that the president would make the decision.
Bessent said that Trump has clearly laid out several red lines concerning highly enriched uranium, nuclear weapons, and the Strait of Hormuz.
A source close to Iran's negotiating team has denied relevant reports by Western media claiming that the text of a proposed MoU between Iran and the US had been finalised, Iran's semi-official Tasnim news agency reported on Thursday.
The source told Tasnim that reports suggesting the text was merely awaiting formal announcement by the two sides were "not consistent with the facts," adding that the document "has not yet been finalised."
According to the source, Iran has not formally informed Pakistani mediators that the text has been completed.
The source stressed that if the agreement text is ultimately finalised, Iran will officially notify the Pakistani mediators and make the matter public. Until then, any Western reports claiming the agreement has already been completed "lack credibility," the source added.
Chairman of the Iranian parliament's National Security and Foreign Policy Commission Ebrahim Azizi said on Thursday that talks with the US are still ongoing. He also said that if the US wants to break the deadlock, it must first accept the conditions put forward by Iran.
Iran's Deputy Foreign Minister for Legal and International Affairs Kazem Gharibabadi said on Thursday that Iran will respond resolutely to any violation of the ceasefire, and that Iran will not sign any MoU that is not in line with the country's national interests.