- Trump announces reopening of Strait of Hormuz as part of emerging deal.
- Pakistan reports encouraging progress in Iran-US negotiations.
- Deal allowing Iran to manage Strait of Hormuz, report says.
US President Donald Trump wrote on Saturday that a memorandum of understanding on a peace deal with Iran was “largely negotiated”, as countries and mediators in Pakistan reported progress.
Trump posted on social media that the nascent deal would reopen the Strait of Hormuz, the vital maritime passage whose closure upended global energy markets after the conflict erupted in February when the United States and Israel launched strikes against Iran.
Trump did not specify what would be included in a deal. “The final aspects and details of the agreement are currently being discussed and will be announced shortly,” Trump said.
Iran Fars The news agency reported Sunday morning that the deal would allow Iran to manage the Strait of Hormuz. He said Trump’s claim that a deal was almost final was “inconsistent with reality.”
Iran had earlier on Saturday said it was working on a memorandum of understanding outlining an approach to end the war after its top officials met Pakistan’s Chief of Defense Forces (CDF) and Chief of Army Staff (COAS) Field Marshal Asim Munir.
The Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said the negotiations had resulted in “encouraging” progress towards a final agreement. Two Pakistani sources involved in the negotiations said the deal being negotiated was “comprehensive enough to end the war.”
Sources said Reuters The proposed framework would take place in three stages: formally ending the war, resolving the crisis in the Strait of Hormuz, and launching a 30-day window for negotiations on a broader agreement, which could be extended.
Earlier Saturday, Trump said Axios that he hoped to decide on Sunday whether to resume attacks on Iran. “Either we come to a good agreement, or I send them to hell.” Axios he was quoted as saying.
One of the Pakistani sources said there was no guarantee that the United States would accept the memorandum; if so, it would lead to further negotiations after the Eid holiday ends on Friday.
Trump to meet with Middle East leaders
Trump, whose popularity has been hurt by the war’s impact on energy prices for U.S. consumers, said Friday he would not attend his son’s wedding this weekend, citing Iran among the reasons he planned to stay in Washington.
Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform that he had a phone call Saturday with leaders of Saudi Arabia, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Jordan, Egypt, Turkey and Pakistan. Axios reported that leaders encouraged Trump to accept the emerging framework.
Pakistan is seeking to narrow differences between Iran and the United States after weeks of war that left the vital Hormuz waterway closed to most shipping despite a nervous ceasefire.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Saturday reiterated Trump’s conditions for ending the fighting. “Iran can never have nuclear weapons. The straits must be opened without toll. They must return their enriched uranium.”
Rubio, who is visiting India, said progress has been made and work continues.
“As I speak to you, work is being done. It’s possible that whether it’s later today or tomorrow or a few days from now, we’ll have something to say,” Rubio told reporters in New Delhi.
US Vice President JD Vance returned to the White House on Saturday afternoon, cutting short his trip to Ohio.
Iran denies wanting to acquire nuclear weapons and claims to have the right to enrich uranium for civilian purposes. He demanded surveillance of the strait, an end to the American blockade on its ports and the lifting of sanctions on Iranian oil sales.
“The trend this week is towards a reduction in disputes, but there are still issues that need to be discussed through mediators. We will have to wait and see where the situation ends up in the next three or four days,” Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmail Baghaei said.
Baghaei said the issue of the U.S. blockade on Iranian shipping was important, but his priority was ending the threat of further U.S. attacks and the ongoing conflict in Lebanon, where Iran-allied Hezbollah is fighting Israeli troops that have moved south.
CDF Munir left Tehran on Saturday after talks with Iran’s top negotiator Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf and Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi.
Qalibaf said Iran would defend its “legitimate rights,” both on the battlefield and through diplomacy, but added that he could not trust “a party that has no honesty,” an allegation Iran has made several times before.
He said Iran’s armed forces had rebuilt their capabilities during the ceasefire and that if the United States “foolishly resumed the war,” the consequences would be “stronger and more bitter” than at the start of the conflict.
Despite weeks of conflict, Iran has preserved its stockpile of near-weapon-grade enriched uranium as well as its missile, drone and proxy capabilities.
