Trump says a deal with Iran and opening of Strait of Hormuz are ‘largely negotiated’

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan (AP) — President Donald Trump said Saturday that a deal will be signed with Iran. warIt was “largely negotiated” following talks with Israel and other allies in the region, including the opening of the Strait of Hormuz.

“Final aspects and details of the agreement are currently being discussed and will be announced shortly,” Trump said on social media, without providing any details. He said he met separately with the leaders of Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Pakistan, Turkey, Egypt, Jordan and Bahrain, as well as with Israel.

He described it as a “Memorandum of Understanding on PEACE” that still needs to be finalized by the United States, Iran and other countries joining the calls. It caps off a week in which the US weighed a new round of assessments Attacks on the Islamic Republic This breaks the fragile ceasefire.

There was no mention of Iran’s nuclear program and highly enriched uranium, which it later tried to discuss. There has been no statement from Iran or Israel yet. Trump said his meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who has been pressuring the United States to enter the war, went “very well.”

Optimism is rising among officials

Earlier Saturday, a regional official with direct knowledge of Pakistan-led mediation efforts said the United States and Iran were nearing a deal to end the war.

The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss closed-door talks, warned that “last-minute disagreements” could thwart the efforts. This isn’t the first time in recent weeks that a deal has been described as imminent.

The agreement would include two months of negotiations on Iran’s nuclear program, along with a formal declaration that the war is over, the official said. Strait of Hormuz will reopen and the USA will be closed Blockade of Iranian ports.

Meanwhile, Iran had signaled that “differences are narrowing”. negotiations After Pakistani army chief Asim Munir held further talks in Tehran.

Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Sunday welcomed Trump’s efforts to advance peace in the Middle East. He said Pakistan would continue to support peace efforts “with utmost sincerity” and “we hope to host the next round of talks very soon.”

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Twelve weeks have passed since the United States and Israel attacked Iran on February 28, killing senior Iranian officials. including religious leader and the second disruption of nuclear negotiations between the United States and Iran in less than a year. Iran opened fire on Israel and its neighbors hosting US forces, shaking Gulf states that see themselves as a safe haven in a difficult region.

The ceasefire has been in effect since April 7. But Iran’s decision to effectively close the Strait of Hormuz to ships carrying regional oil, natural gas and other critical supplies has become the focus of global concern and economic pain.

Iran calls it a ‘framework agreement’ for further negotiations

Iranian state television had previously quoted Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmail Baghaei describing the draft as a “framework agreement”, adding: “We want it to include the main issues needed to end the imposed war and other issues that are of vital importance to us. Then, within a reasonable period of 30 to 60 days, the details are discussed and a final agreement is ultimately reached.”

He said that the Strait of Hormuz was also among the issues discussed.

However, Baghaei told Iran’s official IRNA news agency that nuclear issues were not part of the current negotiations.

“Our focus at this stage is to end the war on all fronts, including Lebanon,” he said, adding that lifting sanctions against Tehran “is clearly included in the text and remains our fixed position.”

Iran-backed Hezbollah’s Al-Manar TV reported that the leader of the Lebanese militant group received a letter from Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi stating that Tehran will not abandon its allies. There is fragility, US brokered ceasefire There was a conflict in the Israel-Hezbollah war in Lebanon that started two days after the start of the Iranian war.

Trump said ‘serious negotiations are ongoing’

Trump has said so before to hold launched a military attack on Iran because “serious negotiations” were ongoing and at the request of allies in the Middle East. Trump has repeatedly setting deadlines He headed towards Tehran and then backed down.

Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf, chief negotiator Historical face-to-face meetings He said on Saturday in Islamabad last month with the US: Iran rebuilds military assets and if Trump continues the attacks, the result will be “more crushing and more painful” than at the beginning of the war.

State television said he spoke after a meeting with Pakistan’s army chief, who in turn met with Araghchi, President Masoud Pezeshkian and other senior officials. Qatar sent a senior official to Tehran to support Pakistan’s efforts.

The stated objectives of the war were not achieved. Iran still has enriched uranium and a missile program that it says is being rebuilt. It continues to support armed deputies in the region. Although the new religious leader has not been seen in public since the beginning of the war, he is the son of the previous one and is close to the powerful Revolutionary Guard.

And the Iranian people did not rebel against the government, as both Trump and Netanyahu predicted after nationwide protests earlier this year.

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Magdy reported from Cairo and Superville reported from Washington. Associated Press writers Aamer Madhani in Washington and Bassem Mroue in Beirut contributed to this report.