Axios: The US and Iran agree on draft 60-day ceasefire deal and nuclear talks

The US and Iranian negotiators have agreed on a 60-day memorandum of understanding that is intended to extend the ceasefire and launch talks on Iranʼs nuclear program, but the US President Donald Trump has not yet given his final approval. Iran has also not officially confirmed its agreement.

This was reported to Axios by two American officials and a regional source involved in the mediation.

The signing of the memorandum will be the most significant diplomatic breakthrough since the start of the war, but the final agreement, which must take into account Trumpʼs nuclear demands, will require further difficult negotiations.

According to US officials, the basic terms were almost agreed on Tuesday, but both sides were waiting for approval from senior leadership. Later, the Iranian side said that it had received the necessary permits and was ready to sign the document. Iran has not officially confirmed this.

American negotiators have briefed Trump on the final version of the deal, but he has not yet approved it and said he wants a few days to think about it.

Main provisions of the memorandum

According to US officials, the 60-day memorandum stipulates that shipping through the Strait of Hormuz will be "unrestricted" — there will be no fees or obstacles, and Iran will undertake to remove all mines from the strait within 30 days.

The US will lift the naval blockade as commercial shipping resumes. The US may also partially ease sanctions to allow Iran to sell oil.

Iran will commit not to seek nuclear weapons. The first issues for negotiations will be the fate of Iranʼs highly enriched uranium and how to regulate its enrichment. The US will discuss how to ease sanctions and unblock frozen Iranian assets.

The document also provides a mechanism to deliver goods and humanitarian aid to Iran.

Separately, the memorandum is expected to include a clause on ending the war between Israel and Hezbollah in Lebanon — an issue that has sparked tense discussions between Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

War in the Middle East and negotiations between Iran and the US

On the morning of February 28, the United States and Israel launched attacks on Iran. These attacks killed Iranʼs Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and almost the entire military leadership of the country — about 40 key high-ranking officials.

Iran, in response to the US and Israeli attacks, began shelling Arab countries where US bases are located, and Israel. The war also halted tanker traffic through the Strait of Hormuz, a narrow sea corridor between Iran and Oman that connects the Persian Gulf with the Indian Ocean. It was through it that almost a fifth of the worldʼs oil exports passed — tens of millions of barrels per day.

On April 8, the parties agreed to a two-week ceasefire. On April 13, the United States began a naval blockade of Iranian ports, demanding the complete unblocking of the Strait of Hormuz for all ships.

On April 17, Lebanon and Israel agreed to a ceasefire, after which Iran unblocked the Strait of Hormuz. However, on April 18, Iran announced that it was again blocking the Strait of Hormuz due to the US naval blockade. On the same day, Iran fired on several ships attempting to pass through the strait.

On April 21, Trump tweeted that he had extended the ceasefire with Iran until the Iranians submitted their proposals and concluded discussions. Despite this, on May 8, Iran accused the United States of violating the ceasefire by attacking two ships in the Strait of Hormuz and striking civilian areas.

Tehran later submitted new proposals to Washington to end the war, but they included points that Trump had previously rejected. This was followed by reports that the US and Israel were preparing to resume strikes on Iran, but Trump said he was putting the idea on hold. Iran responded by threatening to expand the war beyond the Middle East if the US resumed attacks.

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