Hormuz Hangs in the Balance: Trump’s Final Call on a Fragile 60-Day Truce

Though President Trump withholds ultimate approval, negotiators have provisionally accepted a 60-day extension of the US-Iran truce first established on April 8, 2026. The agreement is still pending. Trump told assistants on May 28–29 he is "lastly deciding" whether to take the deal—which would reopens the essential Strait of Hormuz and extend the vulnerable truce. Meanwhile, Iran's foreign ministry is openly downplaying the progress, saying that while messages are being exchanged between the parties, no agreement has been completed and a deal is "not imminent"—so highlighting the sharp difference behind closed-door momentum and formal discourse.

The suggested agreement of understanding lays out a staged, confidence-building de-escalation. Under the terms of the agreement, Iran would progressively reopen the Strait of Hormuz and start clearing mines during the first 30 days of the 60-day ceasefire extension while the two parties start talks on Iran's nuclear program with the goal of reaching a permanent solution. But the most incendiary topics—namely the timing of sanctions relief, the release of frozen Iranian assets, and exact limits on Tehran's nuclear activities—have been pushed to later discussions, therefore leaving the fundamental complaints that almost destroyed prior negotiations still unanswered.

The provisional agreement follows a difficult spring that brought to light exactly how fragile the peace is. Twenty-one hours of face-to face negotiations in Islamabad, Pakistan, ended in disagreement in early April after the US said Iran would not promise to give up its nuclear program; weeks later, on May 7, Iranian troops and US destroyers exchanged fire in the Strait of Hormuz, challenging the boundaries of the truce. Pakistan keeps mediating, trying to turn the truce into a long-lasting agreement even as Trump has threatened that "the bombing starts" at greater intensity should Iran not approve a deal. Negotiators are closer than ever to a preliminary framework that would buy time and start nuclear talks, but without Trump's signature and clear Iranian confirmation, the ceasefire extension remains a fragile possibility instead of a done deal. That is the bottom line.