US and Iranian negotiators have made progress in back-channel communications, moving closer to a framework agreement to end the war, Axios reports citing US officials.

One of the officials says US President Donald Trump’s negotiating team — Vice President JD Vance, White House envoy Steve Witkoff and senior adviser Jared Kushner — “continued making calls and exchanging draft proposals with the Iranians and mediators”, the outlet reports.

“They were on the phone and backchanneling with all the countries and they are getting closer,” the US official has been quoted as saying.

A second US official confirmed to Axios that “progress was made”.

“We want to make a deal. And parts of their government want to make a deal. Now the trick is to get the whole of government over there to make the deal,” a third US official has been quoted as saying in the report.