Vance says US, Iran close to deal but not there yet

Final hurdles

Enrichment question remains unresolved despite signs of progress US-Iran negotiations

Agencies

Washington

The US and Iran still need to work out several sticking points before an agreement can be reached, Vice-President JD Vance said.

Asked if President Donald Trump was close to signing a deal, Vance said it was too early to say “when or if” the two sides would finalise an agreement.

On Thursday, US officials said the two countries had agreed on a framework for a deal, a memorandum of understanding, pending the approval of Trump and Iran’s leadership. “We’re not there yet, but we’re very close and we’re going to keep on working at it,” he told reporters.

Vance struck an optimistic tone while speaking to reporters in Washington, saying the US believed the Iranians were negotiating in “good faith”. The negotiations have focused on a possible framework governing Iran’s nuclear programme, with uranium enrichment emerging as one of the most contentious issues in the discussions between the two sides.

Trump shares  draft Iran  peace pact with  Israel, allies

US President Donald Trump has circulated a draft peace agreement on the war with Iran among allies, including Israel, as both sides try to prevent fresh breaches of the ceasefire from escalating out of control and scuppering any deal, The Guardian reported. To speed up the negotiations, Pakistan’s Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar was scheduled to fly to Washington on Friday to meet his US counterpart Marco Rubio.

The draft shared by Trump is not vastly different from the one circulating across West Asia for days, under which the Strait of Hormuz would be opened to commercial shipping, the US blockade of Iranian ports would be lifted, and Iran would be given access to as much as $12 billion in frozen assets.

US Vice President JD Vance reacts after a graduating cadet greeted him with a surprise chest bump during the US Air Force Academy commencement ceremony for the Class of 2026.

It’s hard to say exactly when or if the president is going to sign the memorandum of understanding. We’re going back and forth on a couple of language points, also the question of enrichment.

JD vance, US Vice President