Tentative US-Iran Ceasefire Deal Faces Mounting Doubts as Tehran Official Warns ‘Concessions Come Through Missiles’
WASHINGTON (AP) — A tentative agreement to extend the ceasefire in the U.S.-Iran conflict has been met with deepening uncertainty, as senior Iranian officials cast doubt on the merits of diplomacy and U.S. internal divisions over the deal remain unresolved.
Vice President JD Vance announced Thursday that the two adversaries had reached a preliminary understanding. But he acknowledged that talks were still stuck on “a couple of language points,” and he could not confirm whether President Donald Trump would give his final approval.
By Friday, Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf took to X with a pointed rebuttal. “We do not gain concessions through talks, but through missiles,” he wrote, adding that Tehran has “no trust in guarantees or words” and will not act before the other side moves first. Qalibaf, who participated in this week’s negotiations in Qatar, also underscored a grim calculus: “The winner of any agreement is the one who is better prepared for war the day after it is signed.”
The proposed extension, according to a U.S. official who spoke on condition of anonymity, would stretch the current ceasefire by 60 days and open a new round of talks focused squarely on Iran’s nuclear program — the central flashpoint of the three-month-old conflict.
During the initial phase of the extended pause, negotiators would tackle the fate of Iran’s enriched uranium stockpile. The International Atomic Energy Agency reports that Iran now holds 440.9 kilograms (972 pounds) of uranium enriched to 60% purity — a short technical step from weapons-grade 90%. Vance indicated Thursday that the sides were working through “a couple of issues on the nuclear stuff, the highly enriched stockpile, and also the question of enrichment,” suggesting that broad terms would be set now and detailed implementation left for later talks.
From the outset, Trump’s team has insisted that the prime objective is to ensure Iran never acquires a nuclear weapon. Yet Vance framed the war’s achievements in more modest terms, saying the U.S. is now “in a position where we could substantially set back their nuclear program, not just during the term of this president but over the long term.”
Iran, which has long maintained its nuclear work is peaceful, has not publicly committed to surrendering its enriched uranium. The stockpile is believed to be buried deep under three nuclear sites that were heavily damaged by U.S. airstrikes last year. Some analysts have suggested Iran could hand over the material to a trusted third party such as China or Russia — but Trump said Wednesday he “wouldn’t be comfortable” with that option.
Beyond the nuclear question, the memorandum reportedly includes key provisions on the Strait of Hormuz. Iran would be barred from imposing tolls on the vital waterway and required to remove all mines within 30 days. The strait, which normally carries about a fifth of the world’s traded oil and gas, has been effectively shut by Iran during the war, sending global oil prices soaring. Only about two dozen commercial vessels are passing daily now, compared with more than 100 before the conflict. Iran has also charged fees on some ships and set up a formal gatekeeper agency, prompting a fresh round of U.S. sanctions this week.
In return, the tentative deal would see the U.S. gradually lift its naval blockade on Iranian ports and relax sanctions to allow Iran to sell more oil. Yet even as word of the deal spread, the Treasury Department announced additional sanctions on the Iranian military’s oil sales arm, underscoring the administration’s two-track approach of pressure alongside negotiation.
Iran has also insisted that any final agreement must include an end to Israel’s military operations in Lebanon against Hezbollah, the Iranian-backed group. Tensions there flared again Thursday when Israel struck a southern suburb of Beirut and other targets near Tyre, killing at least 14 people across southern Lebanon.
Since the initial ceasefire took effect roughly seven weeks ago, the U.S. and Iran have traded strikes and accusations of violations — but have so far avoided a return to full-scale warfare and kept talking. Whether this fragile diplomacy holds will likely depend on decisions in both Washington and Tehran over the coming days.
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Associated Press writers Jennifer Peltz and Farnoush Amiri in New York contributed to this report.