U.S., Iran on Verge of 60-Day Cease-Fire Extension, Per Trump

The United States and Iran have reportedly reached an agreement to extend their fragile ceasefire for another 60 days as negotiations continue over Tehran’s nuclear program, according to multiple reports.

The development, first reported by the Associated Press, comes after weeks of rising tensions across the Middle East, including U.S. military strikes on Iranian targets and a series of military exchanges involving Iran and several Gulf states.

Despite the reported extension, there is still no public evidence that Tehran has accepted President Donald J. Trump’s core demand: that Iran permanently abandon any pursuit of nuclear weapons.

For now, the agreement appears to preserve a tense but temporary status quo. The ceasefire remains in place, diplomatic talks are continuing, and the central dispute over Iran’s nuclear ambitions remains unresolved.

The broader conflict began in late February after joint U.S.-Israeli military operations targeted senior Iranian leaders and key military infrastructure. Those strikes dramatically escalated tensions across the region and triggered months of instability throughout the Middle East.

On Friday, President Trump announced that he was heading to the White House Situation Room to make what he described as a “final determination” on the reported memorandum of understanding to extend the ceasefire with Iran and reopen the Strait of Hormuz.

White House officials said Thursday that U.S. and Iranian negotiators had reached a memorandum of understanding, though Trump had not yet granted final approval.

Iran, however, has denied giving final approval to the agreement. Israel reportedly believes Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei has not signed off on the memorandum either.

Trump made clear that any agreement must include firm conditions on Iran’s nuclear program and on freedom of navigation through one of the world’s most strategically important waterways.

“Iran must agree that they will never have a nuclear weapon or bomb. The Hormuz Strait must be immediately open, no tolls, for unrestricted shipping traffic, in both directions,” Trump wrote in a Truth Social post.

The president appeared to be referencing terms of the reported memorandum, which the White House confirmed on Thursday.

“All water mines (bombs), if any, will be terminated (we have removed, through detonation, numerous such mines with our great underwater mine sweepers. Iran will complete the immediate removal and/or detonation of any mines that are left, which will not be many!)” Trump continued.

“Ships caught in the Strait due to our amazing and unprecedented naval blockade, which will now be lifted, may start the process of ‘heading home!’” Trump added.

Trump’s comments suggested that he may already be prepared to lift the naval blockade, even though the reported terms of the memorandum indicated that such a move would occur only after the agreement was formally signed.

It remains unclear whether Iran demanded that the blockade be lifted in advance as a condition for moving forward.

Under the reported memorandum, both sides would use the 60-day extension to continue negotiations over Iran’s nuclear program, including Tehran’s stockpiles of highly enriched uranium.

Trump said that this “nuclear dust” will be “unearthed” and destroyed by the United States in close coordination with Iran and the United Nations’ nuclear watchdog.

So far, Tehran has not publicly shown that it is ready to accept those terms.

“No money will be exchanged, until further notice,” Trump added, apparently referring to the sanctions relief Iran is expected to receive from the United States if the memorandum is finalized.

“Other items, of far less importance, have been agreed to. I will be meeting now, in the Situation Room, to make a final determination,” Trump added.

The reported extension underscores the Trump administration’s effort to apply maximum pressure while keeping a narrow diplomatic path open. But the central question remains unchanged: whether Iran is truly prepared to abandon its nuclear weapons ambitions, or whether Tehran is simply using negotiations to buy time.

For Trump, the stakes are clear. A bad deal would risk empowering the Iranian regime, threatening U.S. allies, and weakening American credibility. A strong deal, however, would preserve freedom of navigation, protect regional stability, and reinforce the principle that America’s enemies cannot be rewarded for nuclear brinkmanship.