Iran-US war latest: Tehran and US ‘agree deal to open Strait of Hormuz’ pending Trump’s approval

US and Iranian negotiators have reportedly reached a tentative agreement to extend their ceasefire by 60 days and start a new round of talks on Iran’s nuclear programme.

Vice president JD Vance on Thursday evening confirmed there was a tentative agreement, but said it was unclear if president Donald Trump would approve it. “It’s hard to say exactly when or if the president’s going to sign,” Vance told reporters.

“We’re going back and forth on a couple of language points,” he added. The president has previously insisted that any deal include the Strait of Hormuz being opened, Iran committing to not pursue a nuclear programme, and giving up its supply of enriched uranium.

US officials said the MOU will allow “unrestricted” shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, while Iran will reportedly have to remove all mines from the oil passageway within 30 days.

The US naval blockade would also have to be lifted, and Iran would commit not to pursue a nuclear weapon, Axios reported. Ex-counterterrorism chief urges US to withdraw forces from near Iran

Joe Kent, the former chief of the US's National Counterterrorism Center, has urged Donald Trump to withdraw troops from Iran's vicinity, arguing that it risks Washington being compelled "back into the war on Iran's terms".

"A major problem w/ the status quo of having our forces within reach of the Iranians is that we could easily be forced back into the war on Iran’s terms," Joe Kent said on X.

"If we withdraw now, we retain the ability to strike from a distance & take away Iran’s ability to draw us back into the war. Thankfully it appears that we didn’t take casualties, we won’t always be so fortunate," he added.

Kent had quit the counterterrorism post in March due to his opposition to Trump's war on Iran.

Alisha Rahaman Sarkar29 May 2026 06:50

Alisha Rahaman Sarkar29 May 2026 06:37Why has Trump threatened to ‘blow up’ US ally Oman?

US president Donald Trump threatened to “blow up” Oman on Wednesday if it did not comply with his demands over the Strait of Hormuz.

"Oman will behave just like everyone else, or we'll have to blow them up,” the president warned in an off-the-cuff remark about a key US ally during a Cabinet meeting at the White House on Thursday.

Trump reiterated his insistence that Oman and other nations sign on to the Abraham Accords, a US-led treaty brokered during his first term encouraging the normalization of diplomatic ties between Arab nations and Israel.

More here.

Alisha Rahaman Sarkar29 May 2026 06:30Oil falls over 1% on reports of potential US-Iran ceasefire deal

Oil futures fell more than 1 per cent today and were on track for their steepest weekly decline since early April, following ​reports that the US and Iran had agreed to extend a ceasefire.

Brent crude futures for July fell 1.1 per cent or $1.04 to $92.67 a barrel.

US oil futures fell $1.26, or 1.4 per cent, to $87.64 a barrel.

Brent plunged 10.5 per cent ​this week – the steepest plunge since the week that ended on 6 April, while West Texas Intermediate fell 9.2 per cent - the biggest weekly loss since the ⁠week that ended on 13 April.

Alisha Rahaman Sarkar29 May 2026 06:15Israel continues to bomb Lebanon

Rescue workers and local residents inspect the damage to a building following an Israeli air strike in the Choueifat area, south of Beirut on the outskirts of the capital's southern suburbs, on May 28 (AFP/Getty)

The area around has previously been bombarded, as shown in this image from 6 May (AFP/Getty)

Alisha Rahaman Sarkar29 May 2026 06:00US denies Iranian reports of American aircraft downed in southern Iran

A US official has denied Iranian state media claims that a US aircraft was destroyed near Bushehr in southern Iran.

Iran’s state television reported that a US aircraft was downed in the area, without providing details on the type of aircraft.

Alisha Rahaman Sarkar29 May 2026 05:45Iran made 'significant concessions' in new deal, says Trump aide

The White House deputy chief of staff has claimed that Iran has made "many other concessions" besides agreeing to a complete reopening of the Strait of Hormuz.

Stephen Miller told Fox News that the concessions have been “significant, material, and dramatic”, adding that they “would have been impossible only a short time ago”.

“But again, there is no deal until there is a deal; nothing is final until it is final,” he said.

“President Trump has been clear that he reserves the option now or any time in the future to do whatever is necessary to defend and protect America’s national security,” he added.

Alisha Rahaman Sarkar29 May 2026 05:36Is Trump’s threat to ‘blow up’ Oman a sign he regrets his war with Iran?

The president’s casual menacing of a longstanding Gulf ally may yet be a turning point for US relations with several Middle East states, Israel included, says Mary Dejevsky.

Alisha Rahaman Sarkar29 May 2026 05:15Saudi Arabia may lower July oil prices to Asia

The July OSP for flagship Arab Light crude may slide to a premium of $7.50 to $12.50 a barrel ​above the average Dubai and Oman quotes, five industry sources said in the survey, $3 to $8 a ​barrel lower than the OSP for June.

The expected cut follows a price decline and tepid ⁠trading in the spot market in May.

Alisha Rahaman Sarkar29 May 2026 05:00Iran's uranium stock to be aggressively negotiated during ceasefire

Among the first issues to be negotiated during the 60-day ceasefire is what will happen to Iran’s highly enriched uranium, a US official said.

The Islamic Republic has 440.9kg of uranium that is enriched up to 60 per cent purity, a short, technical step from weapons-grade levels of 90 per cent, according to the International Atomic Energy Agency.

Vice president JD Vance said yesterday evening that negotiators were trying to strike general terms on the highly enriched uranium settled in the tentative agreement, with the specifics to be hammered out in the ensuing talks.

Vance said the continued back and forth involved “a couple of issues on the nuclear stuff, the highly enriched stockpile, and also the question of enrichment".

Alisha Rahaman Sarkar29 May 2026 04:45