US and Iran Reach Tentative 60-Day Ceasefire Framework

A tentative framework

US and Iranian negotiators reached a tentative agreement on May 28 on a framework that would extend the ceasefire by 60 days and set the Strait of Hormuz on a path toward reopening. President Donald Trump had not yet given his final approval to the deal, leaving the agreement short of completion even as both sides described progress.

Under the proposed memorandum of understanding, shipping through the Strait of Hormuz would be "unrestricted," with no tolls and no harassment. Iran would remove all mines from the strait within 30 days, and talks would begin on the country's nuclear program.

Fire exchanged despite talks

The diplomatic progress did not halt confrontation on the water. US and Iranian forces exchanged fire early Thursday, and Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps navy said it fired warning shots at four vessels near the Strait of Hormuz.

The episode highlighted how fragile the situation remained even as negotiators edged toward an accord, with the same waterway at the center of both the talks and the skirmish.

"Very close" but not yet

On May 29, Vice President JD Vance said the two sides were "very close" but "not there yet." He pointed to unresolved issues surrounding Iran's highly enriched uranium stockpile and its enrichment activities as the remaining obstacles to a final deal.

For Azerbaijan, the talks carry weight: Iran is its southern neighbor, and any resolution affecting the Strait of Hormuz bears directly on regional security and the global energy and oil prices relevant to audiences across the region.