Trump and Iran 'very close' to agreeing to deal, Vance says

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WASHINGTON — Vice President JD Vance said the Trump administration is "very close" to agreeing to a deal with Iran that would reopen the Strait of Hormuz and extend the ceasefire by 60 days but is "not there yet."Vance expressed optimism a deal will come together but said it's "still TBD" whether President Donald Trump will be in a position to sign off on an agreement, pointing to concessions Iran must make over its nuclear program and highly enriched uranium."I can't guarantee that we're going to get there, but right now I feel pretty good about it," Vance said to reporters on May 28 at Joint Base Andrews after returning to Washington from Colorado, where he delivered the commencement address for the Air Force Academy.Negotiators for the U.S. and Iran have reached a tentative agreement on a memorandum of understanding to reopen the strait and continue discussions on Tehran's nuclear program during the extended 60-day ceasefire. But the proposal still lacks Trump's endorsement.Iran's nuclear program, enriched uranium remain sticking pointsThe memorandum, first reported by Axios, would require unfettered shipping through the Strait of Hormuz without tolls and obligate Iran to remove mines from the waterway within 30 days. In return, the United States would end a blockade of Iranian ports and waive some sanctions on oil sales."I think it's hard to say exactly when or if the president is going to sign the MOU. We're going back and forth on a couple of language points. I do think we've made a lot of progress here," Vance said.Vance told reporters there remains "a couple of issues on the nuclear stuff, the highly enriched stockpile and also the question of enrichment."Trump has said repeatedly that Iran must dispose of its enriched uranium and ends its nuclear program as part of any deal. But Iranian leaders have previously called its right to uranium enrichment non-negotiable.Vance said the administration is "trying to set the stage for a successful negotiation" on the nuclear question. He said some details will take some time to iron out. "Even if you come to an agreement on, let's say, destroying the enriched stockpile, how do you do it? When do you do it? How do you actually get access to it?""We're getting to a point where we can potentially sit down and settle these issues, but that requires us to make a little more progress," Vance said.Contributing: Zac Anderson of USA TODAYReach Joey Garrison on X @joeygarrison.