Trump meets with his aides to make the “final decision” on moving forward with the Iran deal

WASHINGTON (AP) — US President Donald Trump said Friday that he is holding a meeting in the White House Situation Room with his advisers as he looks to make a “final decision” on moving forward with a deal to extend a ceasefire with Iran.

Trump confirmed the high-level talks at the White House a day after the Associated Press and other media reported that American and Iranian negotiators had reached a tentative agreement. The agreement would extend the fragile ceasefire for 60 days with new talks on Iran’s disputed nuclear programme.

US Vice President J.D. Vance said Thursday that the two sides continued to discuss “some linguistic points” and he could not say whether Trump would agree to the proposal.

He watches: Vance says the United States and Iran are making progress, but Trump’s support is unclear

Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf said on Friday that his country “does not trust guarantees or words,” but only actions, and “no step will be taken before the other side acts.”

“We do not get concessions through talks, but through missiles,” wrote Ghalibaf, who participated in the negotiations in Qatar this week. “And in the negotiations, we just make them understand that.” He added: “The winner in any agreement is the one who is most prepared for war the day after it is signed.”

He watches: A close-up look at the Strait of Hormuz from land and water

According to a US official familiar with the matter, the initial agreement would continue the ceasefire in the three-month-old war for 60 days and begin a new round of talks on the Iranian nuclear program.

The official, who requested anonymity, said that among the first issues to be negotiated during the 60-day ceasefire is what will happen to Iranian highly enriched uranium. The Islamic Republic has 440.9 kilograms (972 pounds) of uranium enriched to 60% purity, a short technical step from weapons-grade levels of 90%, according to the International Atomic Energy Agency.

Read more: Trump told PBS News that Iran would not get sanctions relief in exchange for giving up highly enriched uranium

Vance said Thursday evening that the two sides are discussing “some issues related to nuclear materials, highly enriched stockpiles, as well as the issue of enrichment.” The Vice President indicated that the negotiators are trying to reach general terms on the uranium issue in the initial agreement, with details to be determined in the following talks.

Although Trump and his team have said from the beginning of the conflict that one of their main goals was to ensure that Iran never obtains a nuclear weapon, Vance framed the war’s accomplishments in terms of something far less specific.

“We are in a position where we can significantly impede their nuclear program, not just during this president’s term but over the long term,” Vance said. “This is a very good thing for the American people.”

Iran, which has long maintained its nuclear program is peaceful, has not committed to publicly giving up its stockpile. It is believed to be buried under three nuclear sites that were severely damaged by US air strikes last year.

Nuclear analysts said that Iran may consider China or Russia, which have close relations with Tehran, as an acceptable third party to acquire enriched uranium. But Trump said Wednesday that he “would not be comfortable” with such a plan.

The proposed memorandum makes clear that Iran would not be able to impose fees on the Strait of Hormuz, and that Iran would have to remove all mines from the vital waterway within 30 days, according to the official who spoke on condition of anonymity.

During the war, Iran effectively closed the strait, which passed through about a fifth of the world’s oil and natural gas trade. Its closure caused oil prices to rise around the world.

He watches: Bolton says giving Iran control over the Strait of Hormuz would be a mistake

Iran said it was allowing some commercial ships to pass, about twenty ships a day in recent days, compared to more than 100 ships a day before the war. But the Islamic Republic also imposed duties on at least some ships and created an official agency to guard the gate earlier this month, triggering a new round of US sanctions this week.

Under the initial agreement, the United States will gradually lift its naval blockade of Iranian ports, and also agree to ease sanctions, allowing Iran to sell more of its oil.

He watches: Iran says US acted in “bad faith” after strikes during peace talks

However, even as news of the potential deal emerged, the US Treasury Department imposed additional sanctions on the Iranian military’s oil sales arm. The new sanctions, first reported by The Associated Press, expand the Trump administration’s economic pressure campaign on the Islamic Republic.

Iran insists that any agreement must include an end to Israeli military operations in Lebanon against the Iranian-backed Hezbollah armed group. Tensions in Lebanon worsened on Thursday after Israel launched an air strike on the southern suburb of the capital, Beirut, and further strikes on the southern coastal city of Tyre. At least 14 people were killed across the south of the country.

Since the ceasefire began about seven weeks ago, the United States and Iran have exchanged blows and accusations of ceasefire violations. But they did not return to large-scale hostilities and continued negotiations.

Associated Press writers Jennifer Peltz and Farnoush Amiri in New York contributed to this report.