US and Iran approach a ceasefire agreement, but they're not 'at the finish line yet' - Scripps News

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After a months-long conflict, the United States and Iran are nearing an agreement officials say would open the Strait of Hormuz and deny Iran a nuclear weapon, but officials say they are not “at the finish line yet.”

Trump said final points had been “in both concept and great detail approved.” He canceled a third night of bombings against Iran Thursday.

“We're not quite at the finish line yet, but we are very close,” said a senior administration official, who noted they “feel good about where we are.”

While the administration expects to sign an agreement over the next few days, a senior administration official said the confidence level is around 80-85 percent. They acknowledged some Iranian hardliners “want to kill the deal” but that they believe “dissent is quite minimal.”

“Their system is very complicated. Most of the people that we've been speaking to, and most of the people who have authority within their system, want to sign this deal, but not everybody, and those internal fractures are sort of working themselves out as they continue to try to get to the point where they can say yes to the deal,” the official said.

But it appears there is more confidence that Iran’s supreme leader approves.

“All we can take is the people, both on the civilian and military side, both of whom have attested that the leader is comfortable with where we are in the negotiations,” the official said. - 06/12/2026.