The Trump administration pressed its case Friday for an emerging agreement with Iran, with a senior US official telling reporters the deal would accomplish five major goals even as the document on the table chiefly extends the existing ceasefire by 60 days and defers the central concessions to negotiations that have yet to take place.

Speaking on condition of anonymity on a phone briefing, the official said the agreement reopens the Strait of Hormuz and lifts the US naval blockade of Iranian ports, leads to the dismantling of Iran’s nuclear program, leads to the United States obtaining Iran’s enriched uranium for destruction and removal, guarantees long-term regional peace in which Tehran ceases funding violence, and establishes an inspection regime to enforce the terms.

On four of the five points, the official said the deal “leads to” the result rather than securing it outright. The document is a memorandum of understanding, not a final peace treaty. By the administration’s own account, it extends the truce by 60 days and launches technical talks on Iran’s nuclear file during that window. The dismantling of facilities, the removal of highly enriched uranium, the end of proxy funding and the inspection system are outcomes Washington hopes to win in those later talks rather than commitments locked into the memo.

The official described a performance-based structure under which Iran receives nothing upon signing. Turning over nuclear material would earn one benefit, dismantling facilities another, and committing to regional stability another still. If Iran complies, the official said, it would be relieved of economic pressures it has faced for years and reintegrated into the world economy.

Vice President JD Vance reinforced the message on X, writing that Iran receives no cash and that no funds are released simply for signing a deal or attending a meeting. Iran is slated to receive up to $24 billion in sanctions relief, but only if it meets its obligations. Separately, and outside the memorandum, the United Arab Emirates has agreed to unlock billions of dollars for Iran after weeks of Iranian attacks on the Gulf state. Reuters reported the figure at $10 billion, more than $3 billion of it already delivered, while two other sources put the total at $20 billion.

According to Axios, the memorandum would fully reopen the Strait of Hormuz immediately, with pre-war shipping volumes restored within 30 days, and would begin lifting sanctions only if Iran complies. Nuclear talks during the 60-day ceasefire would address Iran’s roughly 440 kilograms of highly enriched uranium. Iran would commit never to acquire a nuclear weapon and to reach an agreement on its stockpile. Trump reportedly accepted an Iranian demand that the uranium not leave the country but instead be blended down inside Iran under UN supervision, and only if a more comprehensive deal is later reached.

Mediators are calling the framework the Islamabad Agreement. Diplomats said it was finalized Wednesday night in talks between Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and a senior Qatari official, with US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner speaking by phone with both sides. Two sources cautioned that Iran’s supreme leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, has likely not yet approved the text. The memorandum reportedly does not address Iran’s frozen assets held around the world.

The administration moved to perform damage control after Iranian officials leaked their own version of the terms, issuing a statement insisting the nuclear material would be destroyed and removed and the program dismantled. Those steps remain goals for the subsequent talks. The memorandum itself extracts no major nuclear concession beyond Iran’s pledge never to obtain a weapon, which Tehran has long maintained it was not pursuing. A clause ending Iranian funding of terror groups is not believed to be in the document. “This is a performance-based deal,” the senior official said.

Iran’s Foreign Ministry said a large part of the text had been finalized but that no final decision had been made and that the United States had repeatedly shifted its positions during talks. Araghchi wrote that the Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding had never been closer and urged the media to refrain from speculating about its contents until it is finalized. Trump amplified the post and has fumed at what he said were false details leaked by the Iranian side.

The US official put the odds of signing at 80 to 85 percent, up from 75 percent earlier in the day, and said the agreement could be signed within days without giving a date. Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, a lead mediator, said a final agreed text had been reached and warned of a misinformation campaign by those seeking to sabotage the deal. Switzerland told AFP it had offered to host a signing and said it was in close contact with both sides.

Israel is not a party to the agreement. A source told Axios that Netanyahu was not updated on the emerging deal and had to call administration contacts to learn the details. Last week Trump said the prime minister “won’t have any choice” but to accept whatever Washington reaches.

Defense Minister Yisrael Katz signaled Friday that Israel may yet act on its own. Israel must retain the ability to act independently to prevent Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons, he said, adding that he and Netanyahu had instructed the IDF to prepare accordingly. Katz said he expected Trump to uphold principles concerning missiles and terrorist proxies, issues the president has stopped naming as goals of a deal, and vowed that Israeli forces will remain in Lebanon, Syria, Gaza and the northern West Bank.

Asked about Katz’s stance, the senior US official said the broad peace framework includes Lebanon, Iran, the Gulf countries and Israel, and expressed confidence that US allies would come on board once they see the full terms. He said the deal does not require Israel to give up its right to self-defense, and that if Iran fails to honor its obligations, he would expect Israel to respond. Pressed on whether Washington would allow Israel to continue striking in Lebanon, the official declined a direct answer and put the burden on Hezbollah and Iran, saying that if Hezbollah fires rockets and Iran pays for missiles aimed at Israel, then Tehran has not kept its end of the bargain.

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