WASHINGTON — Iran is insisting on concrete steps from the United States rather than verbal assurances as talks continue over an emerging agreement to extend a ceasefire and reopen the Strait of Hormuz, Reuters reported on Friday. Iran’s chief negotiator, Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf, said in a social media post that Tehran does not trust guarantees or words and will not act until the other side acts first, underscoring Iran’s demand for visible measures from Washington. Four sources familiar with the negotiations said the draft arrangement would prolong the current truce for 60 more days and permit oil and gas shipments through the strategic waterway while discussions continue on more contentious issues, including Iran’s nuclear program. U.S. President Donald Trump has not yet approved the proposal, and Iran’s Tasnim news agency said the text remains fluid and has changed in recent days, adding uncertainty to a diplomatic push that U.S. officials say is moving quickly but remains unsettled. TEHRAN — Reuters reported that Qalibaf’s remarks were in line with earlier defiant language from Iran and came as the conflict that began on February 28, when the United States and Israel launched attacks against Iran, has killed thousands of people, mostly in Iran and Lebanon, and driven up global energy prices after Iran effectively closed the Strait of Hormuz. Oil futures fell 2% on Friday and were heading for their steepest weekly decline since early April on expectations that a deal could reopen the waterway. The report said Iran wants sanctions lifted, foreign assets unfrozen and U.S. forces withdrawn from the region, while Washington wants Iran to dismantle its nuclear program, which Tehran says is for peaceful purposes, and to halt attacks by allied groups such as Hezbollah in Lebanon. The emerging framework, which U.S. officials describe as progressing, could mark the most significant step toward peace since February 28, but it would leave key issues unresolved, including the long-term status of the strait, Iran’s enriched uranium stockpile and the scope of sanctions relief.

Prepared by Lauren Mitchell and reviewed by editorial team.