Trump and Iran say an agreement is close However, many questions remain, with Tehran and Washington offering different accounts of what's in the framework to be signed.

 

• Push for a US-Iran agreement: The White House is signaling optimism about a prospective agreement with Tehran, voicing confidence that it will earn buy-in from Iranian leadership and Israel after weeks of negotiations on the most intractable issues, including the future of Iran’s nuclear program.

• Remaining questions: US President Donald Trump lashed out Friday at Iranian state media reports that differed from US descriptions of the potential terms, adding uncertainty to the state of talks. It’s not yet clear if Iran’s supreme leader has signed off, but the country’s foreign ministry is also signaling that a framework is in reach.

• Next steps: A signed memorandum of understanding would trigger 60 more days of “technical” negotiations on implementation and remaining issues, according to a US official. While sources said a signing ceremony could be held in Switzerland in the coming days, Iran’s foreign minister suggested the signing could take place remotely.

What Iranian officials are saying Friday about a possible agreement with the US

An “understanding has been reached on the majority of issues” between the United States and Iran, according to an Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson, as a final agreement gets closer.

Earlier in the day, a senior Trump administration official echoed the optimism, but said there are still details to be worked out.

Here’s the latest on where things stand:

• Iranian government officials are in the final stages of discussing the terms of an agreement with the US, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei said.
• The memorandum of understanding between the US and Iran will address the regime’s nuclear program and sanctions relief, among other issues, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said.
• A statement with regards to future control of the Strait of Hormuz should be expected “soon,” Araghchi said. Under the agreement, the waterway would not return to how it operated before the war, according to the foreign minister, and the regime would not charge tolls but “service fees.”
• The agreement includes a resolution for the conflict of Lebanon “and all other fronts,” Araghchi said on Iranian state television.
• The timing, location and details related to the agreement will depend on how the diplomatic process moves forward, Baghaei said. The framework could be signed by both sides remotely in the next few days, Araghchi said.

• Iranian official says joint statement with Oman on the Strait of Hormuz coming “soon”

  

  Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi announced Friday evening that a statement with regards to future control of the Strait of Hormuz should be expected “soon.”

  Araghchi told the Iranian state television that the statement will be jointly released with the Omani government, per the semi-official Iranian Students’ News Agency (ISNA). The Strait of Hormuz is situated between Iranian and Omani territory.The comments come as a purported framework of a US-Iran deal is said to be finalized, with its signing expected in the coming days. US officials have outlined several of the points laid out in the memorandum of understanding, including a complete reopening of the strait and lifting of a US blockade on Iranian ports along the strait.

  Araghchi said that, under the agreement, the waterway would not return to how it operated before the war.

  He added that the regime would not charge tolls but “service fees” for transiting the strait.