The United States and Iran have agreed to a "memorandum of understanding (MOU) to end the war," but U.S. President Donald Trump has not given final approval, according to reports.
Axios, a U.S. online outlet, reported this on the 28th (local time), citing two U.S. officials and a regional source who took part in mediating the talks. As of the 26th, most of the terms had been agreed to, according to the U.S. officials. In particular, they said Iran later returned with approval from its leadership and said it was ready to sign the MOU. However, further intensive negotiations are said to be needed to reach a final agreement that must address the president's nuclear-related demands.
Trump also received a briefing from the U.S. negotiating team on the details of the final proposal but did not approve it immediately. A U.S. official told Axios, "The president asked the mediators for a few days to think about it."
U.S. officials said the MOU extending the cease-fire for 60 days will specify that ship passage through the Strait of Hormuz will be carried out "unrestricted." This includes no tolls or attacks to obstruct ship passage, and it also means Iran must remove all mines from the strait within 30 days, according to the U.S. side.
The MOU is also said to include Iran's pledge not to pursue nuclear weapons. It will specify that, during the 60-day period, the first items to be addressed will be a plan to handle Iran's highly enriched uranium (HEU) and a solution to Iran's uranium enrichment issue.
In return, the United States will pledge to discuss sanctions relief and the unfreezing of Iranian assets as part of the talks, and the MOU will also include discussions on a mechanism to help Iran receive supplies and humanitarian aid.
Meanwhile, the foreign minister of Pakistan, one of the mediators in the U.S.-Iran end-of-war talks, plans to visit Washington, D.C., on the 29th (local time) to meet U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio. Pakistan's Foreign Ministry said in a statement that day, "Foreign Minister Mohammad Ishaq Dar will meet with Secretary Rubio to review bilateral relations and exchange views on regional and global developments of mutual interest."