The Vice President of the United States, JD Vance, stated that it is not yet known whether President Donald Trump will sign a draft provisional understanding with Iran and that the two countries are still negotiating some important points.
“I think it’s difficult to say exactly when or if the president will sign the memorandum of understanding. We are discussing some important points,” Vance told reporters on the tarmac at Joint Air Force Base Andrews on Thursday.
While he emphasized the progress made, he still said there are some key points that remain unclear.
“There are some outstanding issues regarding the nuclear material, the stockpile of highly enriched uranium and also the enrichment issue. So we are in negotiations with them. We believe that, at least so far, they are negotiating in good faith,” explained the vice president.
“We hope that we continue to make progress and that the president is in a position to endorse the agreement, but obviously that is still up in the air.”
He said he could not yet guarantee that such an agreement would be reached.
“We will get to a point where we can sit down and resolve these issues, but that requires us to make a little more progress. I can’t guarantee we’ll get there, but right now, I’m pretty optimistic,” the Republican continued.
Despite the, Vance stated that the ceasefire remains in effect, but that the United States reserves the right to launch defensive strikes.
“These ceasefires are always a little complicated,” he expressed in response to a question from Alejandra Jaramillo, from CNNadding that “sometimes, these situations generate small conflicts.”
Search for an agreement
United States President Donald Trump called a cabinet meeting at the White House on Wednesday (27), amid diplomatic discussions mediated by Pakistan. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio stated that the sides still disagree on specific points in the text of the agreement.
“Negotiations are progressing in an orderly and constructive manner,” Trump said in recent days, while reinforcing that the US will not “rush into an agreement.”
Despite diplomatic progress, the climate in the region remains tense. Iran accused the United States on Tuesday (26) of repeatedly violating the ceasefire and attacking Iranian merchant ships and areas near the Strait of Hormuz. The Iranian government classified the actions as proof of “deception and betrayal” on the part of Washington.
The US confirmed that it carried out “self-defense” attacks against Iranian positions near the strait, claiming protection for American troops in the region.
What stage are the negotiations at?
According to Iranian officials, many conclusions have already been reached in a possible memorandum of understanding with around 14 main points. However, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei said this does not mean a deal is close to being finalized.
The proposal under discussion provides for a gradual end to hostilities and would allow a period of up to 60 days for deeper negotiations on issues considered more complex, especially the Iranian nuclear program.
Iranian diplomat Hossein Nooshabadi told the ISNA news agency on Monday that the possible preliminary agreement included an end to the war on all fronts, including Lebanon, the release of blocked Iranian assets, the lifting of the US naval blockade and the opening of the Strait of Hormuz, the withdrawal of US forces from the vicinity of Iran and the freedom to sell Iranian oil.
According to Nooshabadi, the preliminary text does not include direct commitments on Iran’s nuclear program, precisely one of the main points of disagreement with Washington.
