US-Iran peace deal remains elusive as Trump and Tehran trade conflicting claims | US-Israel war on Iran
The prospect of an immediate end to the war between Iran and the United States remained uncertain Friday amid a chaotic series of claims and counterclaims by U.S. and Iranian officials about ongoing negotiations.
Donald Trump appeared to distance himself from his previous comments that the preliminary agreement could be signed as soon as this weekend, with a series of angry social media posts describing the Iranians as “very dishonorable people to deal with”.
The US president wrote on Friday: “There is no such thing as doing business with them in good faith… They better get their act together, and FAST!”
The outburst came after Iranian news agencies close to the regime denied that the terms of any agreement had been fully agreed and published a so-called draft of a final agreement.
Pakistani prime minister Shehbaz Sharif added to the confusion in a social media post on Friday when he claimed agreement had been reached on the final text of the peace agreement between the United States and Iran, without providing further information.
Neither Tehran nor Washington confirmed agreement had been reached on a final version, but a senior US official separately suggested there was an “80 to 85%” chance of a deal being signed within days.
“Most of the people we talked to, and most of the people who have authority in their systems, want to sign this agreement, but not everyone,” the senior official said. “And as they try to get to a point where they can say yes to the deal, these internal fractures are just sort of resolving themselves.”
The senior official added that Iran “will be rewarded economically for fulfilling its obligations under the agreement.”
“I guess we both [the US and Iran] “Frankly, I feel pretty good about where the consensus will be here, there will be significant relief on economic sanctions,” the official said.
Iranian foreign minister Abbas Araghchi said on Friday that an “Islamabad memorandum of understanding” addressing the US-Israeli war against Iran has “never been closer” but called on media outlets to refrain from speculating about its content until the deal is completed.
Araghchi said Iran would share all the details with the public in due course, in what he described as Tehran’s responsible and transparent approach.
Iran’s state news agency IRNA confirmed that the “general outlines” of the deal had been completed, but added to the confusion when Iran said it would not give up control of the Strait of Hormuz, which carries a fifth of the world’s oil and liquefied gas resources and was closed to most shipping by Tehran shortly after the war broke out in February.
The United States has insisted that Tehran, which wants to impose high fees for passage through the straits, restore freedom of shipping in the vital waterway.
On Friday, a US official said the Strait of Hormuz would be opened and the US would lift the embargo on Iranian ports as part of the terms agreed upon by Washington and Tehran.
Since the ceasefire took effect in April, Trump has repeatedly claimed the deal was near completion, but then returned to threatening Iran with new attacks.
In recent days, the most intense clashes since the ceasefire between Iran, Israel and the USA have occurred. Trump on Thursday threatened to seize Iran’s oil export terminal on Kharg Island and launch a new wave of attacks, then suddenly claimed a diplomatic breakthrough by saying a draft deal had been “approved” by “the highest level of Iranian leadership.”
Details of the so-called agreement leaked or briefed by both sides included a number of major concessions by the other side, suggesting large gaps remain.
On Friday, Trump dismissed a report on the draft agreement text published by Iran’s Mehr news agency, citing a source close to Iran’s negotiating team, as having “nothing to do with reality.”
The semi-official body claimed that the draft would end hostilities on all fronts, including Lebanon, where Israel launched an offensive against Hezbollah, and ensure the release of $24 billion in Iranian frozen assets.
The agreement would also set a 60-day deadline for negotiations on Tehran’s nuclear program, propose a suspension of sanctions on the sale of Iranian oil and petrochemical products, introduce generous reparations to be paid by the United States, and lift a naval blockade of Iranian ports that the United States has imposed since April 13.
The claims were strikingly at odds with statements from Washington, where officials said the deal stipulated that Iran’s nuclear material would be destroyed and its nuclear program dismantled, that none of the frozen money would be released until certain demands were met, and that Iran would stop supporting allied militant movements in the Middle East.
Underscoring ongoing tensions in the Strait of Hormuz, US forces shot down two Iranian unidirectional attack aircraft on Thursday after Tehran tried to hit commercial ships passing through the waterway, according to US officials.
Iranian state media reported explosions early Friday and said the Iranian military had blocked a tanker from passing through the strait.
Trump is under domestic political pressure to end the war; Polls show Trump’s support declines as fuel prices rise.
Some Republicans openly worry that unpopularity of the war could lead to them losing control of Congress in November’s midterm elections.
However, the Iranian regime also faces serious challenges due to the restriction of oil exports and the rapid rise of inflation.
“We are currently under sanctions and our routes are blocked. We are facing a difficult test,” Iranian president Masoud Pezeshkian said in a speech broadcast live on state television on Wednesday. “Governing the country under the current conditions is not an easy task, given the shortages we face, the unrest we experience, and the ongoing problems.”
US officials have suggested that regional allies have accepted the terms of the deal, but restricting conflict in Lebanon may be difficult for Israel to accept, which began fighting alongside the US in February but has not been included in peace talks.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Friday that he and Trump had reached a “complete agreement” on preventing Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons.
On Thursday, Netanyahu said he had spoken to Trump and expressed “appreciation” of the US president’s determination that any final deal would include limits on Tehran’s missile production and halting Iran’s support for its “terrorist proxies” in the region, including Hezbollah.
Diplomats and analysts in the Middle East have said Iran’s still powerful ballistic missile capability and support for militant movements are not part of current negotiations.
A leading Hezbollah politician expressed confidence on Friday that Iran will insist that Lebanon be included in an agreement between Tehran and Washington.
Hezbollah entered the regional conflict by opening fire on Israel on March 2, prompting an Israeli offensive in Lebanon that killed thousands of people.
Israel’s attack on Beirut prompted Tehran to launch waves of ballistic missiles targeting central Israel last week.
“If the agreement is realised, we have full confidence in the Islamic Republic… [and] “We will insist on any agreement, including the Lebanon file,” said Hasan Fadlallah, in an excerpt from a speech broadcast on Hezbollah’s Al Menar TV.
Israeli forces have occupied parts of southern Lebanon, where Lebanon’s national news agency reported on Friday that Israel had launched new airstrikes on several towns and villages.
Last week, Mohsen Reza, an advisor to Iran’s supreme leader, said in comments quoted by the Mehr news agency that Hezbollah “made great sacrifices” in the war and that Lebanon “will be an integral part of any agreement and ceasefire.”
The war in Lebanon continued despite several ceasefires announced by the United States, which mediated talks between the Lebanese and Israeli governments.
Hezbollah is not a party to those talks and has rejected a US-backed plan announced last week that calls for the group to withdraw its fighters from southern Lebanon.
