Iran Says No Nuclear Talks Underway as U.S. Outlines Deal Terms

Iran's Foreign Ministry said Friday that no negotiations are taking place on its nuclear program. Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei told state television the focus remains ending the war. President Trump announced he would make a final determination on a potential agreement during a White House Situation Room meeting.

In a Truth Social post, he said the deal must include reopening the Strait of Hormuz and the destruction of Iran's highly enriched uranium.

President JD Vance told reporters Thursday that the United States and Iran were not yet at a deal but were very close. The deal would reopen the strait, extend the ceasefire, and continue talks on Iran's nuclear program. Iranian state media later reported that no agreement had been finalized or confirmed. Fars news agency said the draft remains in final stages of ratification inside Iran.

Kazakhstan offered to store Iran's uranium stockpile if an accord is reached, according to International Atomic Energy Agency chief Rafael Grossi. The agency estimates Iran holds 440 kilograms of uranium enriched to 60 percent purity. Grossi met Kazakhstan's President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev in Astana this week.

The Financial Times reported the Kazakh leader expressed openness to storing the material.

U.S. stocks rose Friday while oil prices fell.

The S&P 500 gained 0.2 percent and the Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 382 points. Brent crude dropped 1.8 percent to $92 a barrel. The United Nations children's agency reported an average of 11 children killed or wounded daily in Lebanon over the past week. UNICEF spokesperson Ricardo Pires said seven children were killed and 30 injured on Thursday alone.