A letter of intent or memorandum of understanding between the US and Iran is likely to be signed early next week, paving the way for further talks on a permanent US-Iran deal, two sources familiar with the diplomatic efforts said.
The signing of the memorandum will begin 60 days of negotiations to negotiate the details of the US-Iran deal. That period could be extended as needed, according to multiple sources.
The first steps include ensuring “freedom of trade” by removing the bombs and opening the Strait of Hormuz. By law, Iran will oblige to be locked out for 15-20 years when it would not be possible develop uranium and would dismantle its nuclear facilities. If it takes these steps, Iran will receive financial aid over time and be monitored for compliance.
The US intelligence community is not investigating whether Iran has a nuclear weapon or is seeking one, but rather, whether it wanted to be on its border. The regime also refused to allow nuclear inspectors from the International Atomic Energy Agency into Iran to verify what it said was the peacefulness of its program. Israeli intelligence has a different assessment.
On Thursday, President Trump said on Truth Social, “he canceled the planned strikes and bombings against Iran tonight” because the final points of the possible agreement were approved by “all parties involved,” including the US and the countries of the Middle East, which he listed, although Iran was not among them.
The president said the “time and place” of the signing “will be announced soon.” He is expected next week to attend a gathering of the world’s leading economies at the G7 summit in France, where the disruption of global trade caused by the war is expected to be a key topic.
Mr. Trump spoke about the signing during an unrelated event in the Oval Office on Thursday afternoon and said he would not be there, but Vice President JD Vance would attend. The president said it could happen at the beginning of this weekend in Europe. The vice president’s office referred questions to the White House, and the White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
“The strait will open as soon as we sign,” said the president.
Soon after Mr. Trump about a possible agreement, the Fars News Agency, affiliated with the Iran Revolutionary Guard Corps, cited “a well-known source close to the Iranian negotiating team” who denied the president’s claim about the initial agreement and said that “no text of the first memorandum of cooperation with the United States has been approved.”
Israel has yet to comment, but the president said he spoke with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, as well as several Arab leaders.
The understanding between the US and Iran will involve United Nations inspectors from the IAEA rejecting what Mr. Trump referred to “nuclear dust” and nuclear testing. Last June the US and Israel He detonated three nuclear bombsin Fordow, Natanz and Isfahan. Advanced nuclear material is tested for waste in those areas.
In the Oval Office, the president said of Iran, “They’re not going to have a nuclear weapon โ they’ve agreed to that,” adding that Iran also will not buy or build a nuclear weapon “in any way or shape.”
I war in Lebanon involving an Iranian Hezbollah representative was mentioned in the memorandum, but details are scarce, multiple sources told CBS News. Israel invaded Lebanon in March after Hezbollah launched rockets across the border, and this past week, Israel detonated a bomb outside Beirut. The violence threatens to derail U.S. efforts to get the Lebanese and Israeli governments to normalize relations and cooperate against Hezbollah militants.
Earlier this month, Secretary of State Marco Rubio testified before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and laid out some of the terms of the deal. He said Iran should reopen the Strait of Hormuz and allow international ships to pass “without being deported without paying taxes.”
He also told the panel that in phase 2, Iran must commit to “direct negotiations about the highly enriched uranium that is buried deep in a mountain somewhere.” He added that Iran must “agree to negotiate strict and long-term restrictions, as well as the cancellation of enrichment.”
The release of sanctions on Iran, he said, “will be linked to their commitment and compliance.”
Olivia Gazis, Kathryn Watson, Bill O’Reilly, Sara Cook contributed to this report.
