President Donald Trump said Thursday that the United States and Iran are on the verge of signing a memorandum of understanding that would extend the current ceasefire between the two countries and set up follow-on negotiations over Iran’s nuclear program, with a signing ceremony possibly as soon as this weekend in Europe.

“We just made a great settlement of the war with Iran, subject to finalization of documents,” Trump told reporters in the Oval Office on Thursday. “It should get done in the next few days.”

The president said he believes that Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei, Iran’s new supreme leader, has personally given his approval to the arrangement. Asked whether he was confident the deal would be concluded, given that he has made similar pronouncements in recent weeks only for talks to drag on further, Trump said he was “pretty confident” this time, noting that the U.S. had hit Iran hard in recent strikes.

Trump said he himself would not attend the signing, but that Vice President JD Vance, senior envoy Steve Witkoff, and adviser Jared Kushner would represent the United States. He indicated that Saturday or Monday were possible dates for the ceremony.

According to reporting by Al Arabiya, the proposed memorandum of understanding would include a ceasefire of 60 or more days, a commitment to reopen the Strait of Hormuz within 30 days, phased sanctions relief tied to resumed Iranian oil exports, continued nuclear negotiations during the ceasefire period, and a halt to hostilities across all fronts.

Trump acknowledged that the MOU only “conceptually” addresses the question of Iran’s nuclear material, and does not require Iran to immediately surrender its stockpiles of highly enriched uranium. He said that the enrichment facilities are “buried under a mountain” following U.S. strikes last year, and that “nobody has gotten close” to the stockpiles. The MOU would include an Iranian commitment not to obtain a nuclear weapon.

Trump also said that the Strait of Hormuz would reopen as a condition of the deal, and claimed that the U.S. had already quietly succeeded in moving oil through the channel in recent months, though it had remained substantially obstructed for the rest of the world.

The U.S. would lift its blockade of Iranian ports upon signing of the deal, Trump added. He described it as “a very strong MOU” that would be “a great deal for Iran because they’ll be able to build up their country” — a reference to the sanctions relief Tehran would receive if it complies.

Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei pushed back on the characterization that a deal was imminent. Tehran has not made a final decision and will not compromise on its “red lines” in negotiations, he said, according to Iran’s state IRNA news agency.

Baghaei said reports about a time and place for signing the agreement were “speculative,” and that nothing had been finalized. He acknowledged that “a large part of the negotiating text has been finalized” but said the United States had repeatedly changed its positions during the course of negotiations.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu spoke with Trump by phone on Thursday regarding the emerging arrangement. The Prime Minister’s Office said the two discussed “the emerging memorandum of understanding with Iran regarding entry into negotiations.”

In a statement, the Prime Minister’s Office said that “although Israel is not a party to the memorandum of understanding,” Netanyahu expressed appreciation for Trump’s commitment that any final agreement would include the removal of enriched material, the dismantling of enrichment infrastructure, limitations on missile production, and a halt to Iran’s support for terrorist proxies in the region.

The statement notably goes further than what Trump has publicly demanded of late. In recent weeks, the president has focused primarily on Iran’s nuclear program and the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, and has not insisted publicly on conditions related to ballistic missiles or Iran’s support for terrorist organizations — issues that Tehran has said are off the table.
Adding to the sense of friction between Jerusalem and Washington, the Axios news site reported Thursday, citing a source with knowledge of the matter, that Netanyahu was not given advance notice before Trump called off further strikes against Iran and announced that a deal was near — a development that caught the prime minister off guard.

Diplomatic activity intensified on Thursday even as hostilities continued in the region. Qatar’s Emir, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, held a phone call with Trump to review the results of U.S.-Iran consultations, with the Qatari Emiri Diwan saying that progress had been made toward a negotiating framework.

In a separate development, Kuwait’s civil aviation authority said that an Iranian attack earlier on Thursday targeted Kuwait International Airport’s radar systems, causing injuries and significant damage to radar facilities and air traffic management equipment. Kuwait formally notified the International Civil Aviation Organization of the incident.

Earlier this week, ballistic missile impacts in the southern Israeli cities of Arad and Dimona left nearly 200 people wounded, underscoring the fragility of the current ceasefire even as diplomats push toward a formal agreement.
Trump on Thursday also addressed the state funeral for the late Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who died during the conflict. Tehran’s mayor said the ceremony would be delayed by several weeks.