Vance says US not there yet on agreement with Iran, but close

AFP

US Vice President JD Vance has told reporters on Thursday that Washington was "not there yet" with Iran on an agreement but that the parties were close, adding that the US was in a position where it could substantially set back Tehran's nuclear program.

The United States and Iran reached an agreement on Thursday to extend their ceasefire and lift restrictions on shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, pending US President Donald Trump's approval, sources told Reuters.

Vance said there were a couple of sticking points in talks with Tehran concerning its enriched uranium stockpile and the question of enrichment.

"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," Vance said.

"I can't guarantee that we're going to get there, but right now I feel pretty good about it," he said.

Meanwhile, the US military denied that its aircraft was shot down near Bushehr, Iran, despite a claim made on Iranian state TV.

Iran's state TV said early on Friday that a US aircraft was destroyed in Iran's Jam governorate in Bushehr, citing its governor Masoud Tangestani.

"No US aircraft were shot down. All US air assets are accounted for," the US Central Command said in a post on X.

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