Trump Holds Back on Iran Deal as New Missile Attack Tests Fragile Ceasefire

The Trump administration is not yet ready to approve a proposed agreement with Iran, Vice President JD Vance said Thursday, even as U.S. and Iranian negotiators reportedly moved close to a 60-day memorandum of understanding that would extend the ceasefire and open new nuclear talks.

Vance said the sides have made significant progress, but confirmed that Washington and Tehran remain divided over the most sensitive issues: uranium enrichment and Iran’s existing nuclear stockpile. According to the report provided to JFeed, Vance said the sides are still exchanging proposals over drafting language, including language connected to enrichment, and that it is too early to know whether an agreement will ultimately be reached.

The reported draft agreement would extend the current ceasefire for 60 days and begin negotiations over Iran’s nuclear program, but it still requires President Donald Trump’s approval. Reuters, citing Axios, reported that U.S. and Iranian negotiators have reached agreement on the memorandum’s basic terms, though Trump has not yet given final signoff.

Vance separately told reporters that the United States is “not there yet,” but is close to a deal. He said the unresolved questions include Iran’s enriched uranium stockpile and enrichment activity, two issues that have repeatedly blocked a final settlement.

The tension on the military front complicates the diplomatic timeline. According to the report provided to JFeed, Iranian state-linked media said Iranian armed forces carried out a missile-launch operation from southern Iran toward specified targets, while other unconfirmed reports claimed U.S. ships may have been targeted near the Strait of Hormuz. The same report also cited Iranian media claims that warning shots were fired at vessels attempting to cross the strait without coordination.

The proposed deal appears designed to freeze the immediate conflict while postponing the hardest nuclear questions. Axios reported that the memorandum would extend the ceasefire and launch nuclear negotiations, but officials cautioned that both sides still require senior-level approval.

Iran’s enriched uranium remains the core obstacle. Washington has demanded that Tehran dismantle or neutralize its ability to move quickly toward a nuclear weapon, including by transferring highly enriched uranium out of the country or placing it under international supervision. Iranian officials, however, have repeatedly rejected any arrangement they view as surrendering sovereignty over the nuclear file.

One idea reportedly being discussed in regional channels would involve transferring Iranian uranium to China under international supervision, with Pakistan involved in presenting the proposal. The report provided to JFeed notes that this plan remains uncertain and that Tehran has not publicly indicated it would accept such a transfer.

The result is a familiar Middle Eastern contradiction: diplomacy is advancing, but the battlefield is still active. Trump now faces a strategic choice. Approving the memorandum could buy two months of quiet, reopen Hormuz, and create a path toward a broader deal. Rejecting it could preserve U.S. pressure and avoid appearing to reward Iranian escalation, but it may also risk a renewed military confrontation.

For Israel and America’s Gulf allies, the question is whether a 60-day pause is a real step toward dismantling Iran’s nuclear threat, or merely a temporary truce that leaves Tehran’s leverage intact.

For now, there is no final deal. There is a draft, a hesitant White House, an anxious region, and a ceasefire being tested by missiles.