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U.S. and Iranian negotiators have reached an agreement on a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to extend the ceasefire by 60 days and launch talks on Iran's nuclear program, but U.S. President Donald Trump has yet to give his final approval, U.S. media Axios reported Thursday, citing U.S. officials and a regional source, reported Xinhua. The U.S. negotiators briefed Trump on the details of the final deal, but he did not immediately sign off, said the report. "The president relayed to the mediators that he wants a couple of days to think about it," a U.S. official was quoted as saying. Iran has also not confirmed its acceptance, though the report, citing U.S. officials, claimed that the Iranian negotiators had said they had the necessary approvals and were prepared to sign. The 60-day MoU will state that shipping transiting the Strait of Hormuz will be "unrestricted," said the report. A U.S. official was quoted as saying that this means no tolls and no harassment and that Iran will have to remove all mines from the strait within 30 days. The U.S. naval blockade on all Iranian ports will also be lifted, but that will happen in proportion to the restoration of commercial shipping, one of the U.S. officials said, adding that Washington would also issue some sanctions waivers to allow Tehran to sell oil freely. The MoU will include an Iranian commitment not to pursue a nuclear weapon, the officials said. It will also state that the first issues to be negotiated during the 60-day window will be how to dispose of Iran's highly enriched uranium and how to address Iranian enrichment. The White House will commit to discuss sanctions relief and the release of frozen Iranian funds as part of the negotiations, according to the report, adding that the MoU will also include a discussion of a mechanism to help Iran start receiving goods and humanitarian aid. The MoU would also state that the conflict between Israel and Hezbollah in Lebanon would end -- an issue on which Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu have had at least one tense discussion, said the report. "This is an agreement to get everybody to the table. We will work out the details in the negotiations," one of the U.S. officials was quoted as saying. Trump said Wednesday that Washington was not yet satisfied with the terms under discussion and remains prepared to resume military action if its demands are not met. "We're not satisfied with it, but we will be," Trump said. "Either that or we'll have to just finish the job." Meanwhile, a source close to Iran's negotiating team has denied reports claiming that the text of a proposed memorandum of understanding (MoU) between Iran and the United States had been finalized, Iran's semi-official Tasnim news agency reported Thursday. The source told Tasnim that reports suggesting the text was merely awaiting formal announcement by the two sides were "not consistent with the facts," adding that the document "has not yet been finalized." According to the source, Iran has not formally informed Pakistani mediators that the text has been completed. The source stressed that if the agreement text is ultimately finalized, Iran will officially notify the Pakistani mediators and make the matter public. Until then, any Western reports claiming the agreement has already been completed "lack credibility," the source added. Iran targets US air base after strikes on southern port city Iran's Islamic Revolution Guard Corps (IRGC) said it carried out strikes Thursday morning targeting a U.S. air base in response to early U.S. attacks against the southern Iranian port city of Bandar Abbas. The IRGC said in a statement posted on its official news outlet Sepah News that a U.S. air base was targeted at 4:50 a.m. local time (0120 GMT) after what it described as a U.S. attack using aerial projectiles on an area near Bandar Abbas airport in the early hours of Thursday, adding the retaliatory attack was a stern warning. Three explosions were heard east of Bandar Abbas on the Strait of Hormuz at around 1:30 a.m. Thursday (2200 GMT Wednesday), Iran's semi-official Fars news agency reported. Multiple U.S. media outlets reported later that the U.S. military carried out fresh overnight strikes in Iran, targeting a military site that Washington said posed a threat to U.S. forces and commercial vessels in the region. Citing a U.S. official, CBS News said U.S. forces also intercepted drones launched from Iran. The official described the strikes as defensive, asserting that the ceasefire between the United States and Iran is still considered to be in place. Citing military sources, Iran's semi-official Tasnim news agency said on Thursday the United States launched the strikes after Iranian naval forces had stopped and returned four vessels seeking to cross the Strait of Hormuz without permission by firing warning shots. Iran's Tasnim news agency cited a military source as saying that the IRGC Navy fired toward a U.S. oil tanker that was trying to transit the strait, forcing it to turn back. The source said the U.S. military then struck open ground around Bandar Abbas, with no casualties or damage reported. Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei said on social media on Thursday that Iran strongly condemned what he described as U.S. military aggression against the Bandar Abbas region, repeated violations of the ceasefire agreement, and threatening remarks directed at Iran and some countries in the region. Iran says 26 ships crossed Hormuz Strait in past 24 hrs Iran's Islamic Revolution Guard Corps (IRGC) said on Thursday that 26 ships crossed the Strait of Hormuz over the past 24 hours after obtaining permission and coordinating with its Navy. In a statement on its official news outlet Sepah News, the IRGC said that the previous night, several ships attempted to enter the Gulf without authorization by tampering with and disabling their navigation systems. Its naval forces stopped two of them and forced the rest to return after radio warnings. It said that in violation of the April 8 ceasefire, the U.S. "terrorist" army launched missiles at empty areas of an airport in Iran's southern port city of Bandar Abbas, causing no casualties or damage. In response, the IRGC struck the U.S. base from which the attack originated and warned of a "harsh" response if repeated. The IRGC said it is exercising smart control over the Strait of Hormuz with full power, and the 26 vessels, including oil tankers and commercial ships, transited via the Iran-designated safe route. It stressed that only its Navy is authorized to manage the strategic waterway, and any disruption will be met with its decisive response.
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