• US to ‘lift’ blockade on Iranian ports under agreement.
• Sanctions waivers to ‘allow’ Iranian oil exports again.
• Iran ‘commits’ to not pursue nuclear weapons capability.
  

The United States and Iran are close to signing a deal involving a 60-day ceasefire extension, during which the Strait of Hormuz would be reopened, Iran would be able to freely sell oil, Axios reported on Saturday, citing a US official.

According to the report, negotiations would be held on curbing Iran’s nuclear programme, and during the 60-day period, the Strait of Hormuz would be open with no tolls. Iran would agree to clear the mines it deployed in the strait to let ships pass freely, the source added.

In exchange, as part of the proposed deal, the US would lift its blockade on Iranian ports and issue some sanctions waivers to allow Iran to sell oil freely, the report added.

The draft agreement also includes commitments from Iran to never pursue nuclear weapons and to negotiate over a suspension of its uranium enrichment programme and the removal of its stockpile of highly enriched uranium, the Axios report said.

Iran gave the US, through the mediators, verbal commitments about the scope of the concessions it’s willing to make on suspending enrichment and giving up the nuclear material, two sources told Axios.

The US would also agree to negotiate over lifting sanctions and unfreezing Iranian funds during the 60-day period, the Axios report said.

The White House did not immediately respond to Reuters’ request for comment on the report.

Meanwhile, US President Donald Trump said that a “largely negotiated” memorandum of understanding on an Iran peace deal would reopen the Strait of Hormuz.

Trump posted on social media that the emerging agreement would reopen the strait, the vital shipping passage whose closure has sparked a global energy crisis since the US and Israel launched the war on Iran in February. He did not say what else would be included in an agreement.

“Final aspects and details of the Deal are currently being discussed, and will be announced shortly,” Trump wrote on Truth Social.

U Secretary of State Marco Rubio, on a visit to India, said more news on Iran could come on Sunday and there was a possibility of good news on the strait over the next few hours.

‘Issues still need to be discussed’

Separately, Iran has said that diplomatic discussions this week have shown progress toward easing tensions, although several important issues still require further negotiation through mediators.

“The trend this week has been towards a reduction in disputes, but there are still issues that need to be discussed through mediators. We will have to wait and see where the situation ends in the next three or four days,” said Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmail Baghaei.

Baghaei said the issue of the US blockade on Iran’s shipping was important, but that its priority was ending the threat of new US attacks and the ongoing conflict in Lebanon, where Hezbollah are fighting Israeli troops who have moved into the south.

Speaking in a televised interview on Saturday, Baghaei elaborated on a day-long visit by a Pakistani delegation, led by Army Chief Field Marshal Asim Munir, to Tehran, hailing Islamabad’s “important” mediating role in talks between Iran and the US in recent weeks.

“We are now in the finalization stage of this memorandum of understanding. The topics being discussed at this stage focus broadly on ending the war, halting the US naval aggression – what they themselves have labeled a ‘naval blockade’-, and issues related to the release of Iran’s blocked assets,” he said.

He added that the purpose of the Pakistani delegation’s visit was to continue the exchange of messages between Tehran and Washington.

He emphasized that Iran’s focus at this stage remains exclusively on ending the US-Israel imposed war based on the Islamic Republic’s 14-point proposal, which has been shuttled back and forth several times.

Asked whether Tehran and Washington have drawn closer to an agreement or moved further apart following recent meetings between the Pakistani and Iranian authorities, Baghaei said Iran cannot be fully confident that the US approaches will not shift again as before.

However, he acknowledged that after several weeks of dialogue between the two sides, the “process appears to be moving toward a convergence of views.”

Baghaei, who is also the spokesman of the Iranian negotiating team, emphasized that “moving closer” does not mean that Iran and the US are about to reach an understanding. Rather, he explained, it means that “based on a set of parameters, the two sides may be able to achieve a win-win solution.”

He outlined the framework of the negotiations, saying, “Our approach has been to first draft a memorandum of understanding consisting of 14 articles. That memorandum would include the most important issues necessary to end the imposed war and matters of fundamental importance to us.”

“Subsequently, within a reasonable timeframe of 30 to 60 days, the two sides would discuss the details of these issues and ultimately reach a final agreement.”

The criminal US-Israeli aggression against Iran began on February 28 with airstrikes that assassinated senior Iranian officials and commanders, including Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei.

Iranian Armed Forces responded by launching daily missile and drone operations targeting locations in the Israeli-occupied territories as well as US military bases and assets across the region.

Furthermore, Iran retaliated against the strikes by closing the Strait of Hormuz, which resulted in a significant increase in oil prices and its by-products.

On April 8, forty days into the war, a Pakistan-brokered temporary ceasefire between Iran and the US took effect.

Negotiations ensued in the Pakistani capital, Islamabad but stopped short of an agreement amid Washington’s maximalist demands and insistence on unreasonable positions.

Strait of Hormuz has nothing to do with US

Elsewhere in his remarks, Baghaei pointed to the issue of the Strait of Hormuz, saying the strategic waterway “has nothing to do with America.”

He added that Iran and Oman, as the coastal states of the Strait of Hormuz, should define a mechanism for it.

Asked whether the Strait of Hormuz is included in the 14-point memorandum, the spokesman said the issue would logically be discussed.

However, he added, putting an end to “US piracy and maritime banditry” against international shipping is even more important than the Strait of Hormuz.

Iran shut down the strait to its enemies and their allies after the unprovoked US-Israeli aggression. Iranian authorities began enforcing much stricter controls last month following US President Donald Trump’s announcement of a blockade targeting Iranian vessels and ports.

Tehran says the measures violate the terms of the Pakistan-brokered ceasefire.

Despite the blockade, shipping activity linked to Iranian crude is continuing.

Nuclear Issue not on the table for now

Asked whether the nuclear issue might be part of any potential agreement, Baghaei responded, “At this stage, we are not discussing the details of the nuclear issue.”

He said Iran knows that its nuclear program has been a “pretext” for two aggressive wars against the Iranian people, adding that the country came under illegal attacks even during nuclear negotiations.

“In later stages – within 30 days, 60 days, or whatever timeframe is ultimately agreed upon – we can discuss the nuclear issue or other mutually agreed matters separately. But at this stage, as stated, all our focus is on ending the war,” the spokesperson emphasized.

Removal of all sanctions, Iran’s constant demand

On the subject of sanctions, Baghaei said Iran has made clear to American parties that sanctions are both “illegal and inhumane.”

Given that Tehran is not discussing details about the nuclear issue at this stage, it is also not discussing the specifics of sanctions removal in this short window.

However, he stressed that Iran’s demand for the removal of all sanctions has been explicitly included in the text.

“This is our constant demand in any interaction with intermediaries,” he noted.

Baghaei stressed that “both the nuclear issue and the issue of releasing Iran’s blocked funds are included in the 14-point memorandum of understanding.”

Pakistan official mediator, Qatar facilitating

Clarifying the role of different countries in the negotiation process, Baghaei said that Pakistan is officially the mediator in the precise sense of the word, while Iran thanks other parties that have at the same time tried to help, including Qatar.

He reiterated that the presence of a Qatari delegation over the past two to three days was aimed at facilitating certain articles of the memorandum of understanding between Iran and the US.

“It is natural that regional countries have concerns about regional peace and security. They have witnessed how actions by the US and the Israeli regime against Iran could trigger conflict across the entire region. Therefore, they have tried not to withhold any help they could offer in this regard,” Baghaei said.

• Security forces flood White House area.
• Police block access near White House complex.
• FBI joins probe near White House perimeter.
  

Police and security forces swarmed the White House on Saturday evening after shots were fired in the area, authorities said.

US President Donald Trump was at the White House at the time as he worked to negotiate a deal with Iran.

A US law enforcement official said the suspect approached a checkpoint near the White House and opened fire on officers.

Police cordoned off access to the White House, and National Guard troops blocked an AFP reporter from entering the area in downtown Washington.

“FBI is on the scene and supporting Secret Service responding to shots fired near White House grounds,” FBI Director Kash Patel said on X.

Canadian tourist Reid Adrian told AFP he was in the area when “we heard probably 20 to 25 what sounded like fireworks, but they´re gunshots, and then everyone started running.”

Journalists who were on the White House North Lawn at the time said on X that they were ordered to run and shelter in the press briefing room.

ABC News correspondent Selina Wang had been recording a video for social media when the apparent gunfire broke out, capturing the sounds of the shots as she dove to the ground.

“It sounded like dozens of gunshots,” she said on X.

A Secret Service spokesman told AFP in a text message that the agency was still gathering information about the incident.

Trump, 79, has been the target of three alleged assassination attempts, the most recent of which took place on April 25 when an armed man stormed a security checkpoint near the ballroom where Trump was attending a media gala.

This is a developing story and is being updated with more details.