Iran live updates: Negotiators believe they have draft deal, leaders haven't approved

American and Iranian negotiators believe they have arrived at a draft agreement.

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Last updated: Thursday, May 28, 2026 5:36PM GMT
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President Donald Trump announced "major combat operations" against Iran on Feb. 28, with massive joint U.S.-Israeli strikes targeting military, government and infrastructure sites.

Following the announcement of a two-week ceasefire, initial U.S.-Iran talks in Pakistan in April failed to reach a peace deal.

Trump later announced the open-ended extension of the ceasefire and the continuation of a U.S. blockade until negotiations are concluded "one way or the other."

For previous updates on Iran, click here.

ByShannon K. Kingston ABCNews logo
1 hour and 50 minutes ago

Negotiators believe they have deal, but leaders haven't signed off

American and Iranian negotiators believe they have arrived at a draft agreement to formally extend the ceasefire and gradually open the Strait of Hormuz that can win the support of both countries, but President Donalad Trump and Iran's Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei have not yet given their final stamps approval -- meaning there is no deal at this point, according to two U.S. officials and another source with knowledge of the negotiations.

Both Trump and Iranian leadership have rejected deals in the late stages of negotiations before. The U.S. officials also say the Trump administration is still concerned about the fractured Iranian regime's ability to coalesce behind any agreement, but that high-level Iranian officials have indicated the regime can accept the terms that are currently on the table.

President Donald Trump speaks during a Cabinet meeting at the White House, Wednesday, May 27, 2026, in Washington.
President Donald Trump speaks during a Cabinet meeting at the White House, Wednesday, May 27, 2026, in Washington.

U.S. sources also confirmed that U.S. and Iranian negotiators have reached a deal, but it still needs Trump's final approval, which was first reported by Axios.

The U.S. officials confirm that the president has been briefed on the draft memorandum of understanding, and say it would see the Strait of Hormuz fully opened over the course of 60 days -- with Iran loosening its grip on the waterway and the U.S. pulling back its naval blockade in synchronized steps until the strait returns to its pre-war status quo.

9:23 AM GMT

Kuwaiti air defenses respond to 'hostile' missile, drone threat

The Kuwaiti Army said in a post to X on Thursday morning that its air defenses were "responding to hostile missile and drone threats."

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10:38 AM GMT

IRGC says it targeted US airbase used in Bandar Abbas attacks

Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said in a statement on Thursday that it attacked the U.S. airbase from which American forces launched strikes on Bandar Abbas.

"This response is a serious warning to the enemy that any act of aggression will not go unanswered, and if repeated, our response will be even more decisive," the IRGC said in the statement, which was carried by the state-owned Press TV channel's Telegram account.

"The aggressor bears full responsibility for the consequences," the IRGC added.

-ABC News' Morgan Winsor

ByLuis Martinez ABCNews logo
May 27, 2026, 11:55 PM GMT

US conducts new airstrikes in southern Iran: US official

The U.S. has carried out new airstrikes in southern Iran targeting a military site that was believed to pose a threat to U.S. forces and commercial maritime traffic in the Strait of Hormuz, according to a U.S. official.

The U.S. military also intercepted and shot down multiple Iranian drones that posed a similar threat, according to the official.