Trump says draft deal includes opening Strait of Hormuz, Fars says Hormuz will remain under Iran’s management
Iranian President Massoud Pezeshkian meets with Defense Force Chief Marshal Asim Munir in Tehran. PHOTO: REUTERS
ISLAMABAD:
Iran and the United States are moving closer to signing an interim agreement to end the war after Pakistan’s defense force chief and army chief, Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir, embarked on what is being described as the most important trip in the ongoing mediation efforts.
Although no official announcement has yet been made from either side regarding a breakthrough, there were enough indications to suggest that an interim agreement was not far away.
US President Donald Trump said a deal with Iran had been “extensively negotiated”, with the proposal including the opening of the crucial Strait of Hormuz, although the deal was “subject to finalisation”.
“An agreement has been extensively negotiated, subject to finalization between the United States of America, the Islamic Republic of Iran and the various other countries,” Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform, listing a number of Middle Eastern powers as well as Turkey and mediator Pakistan.
“In addition to many other elements of the agreement, the Strait of Hormuz will be open.”
Among the Middle Eastern countries whose leaders joined a call Saturday to discuss the deal were Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Egypt, Jordan and Bahrain, Trump said.
He added that he had a separate call with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, saying “that also went very well.”
“The final aspects and details of the agreement are currently being discussed and will be announced shortly,” Trump said.
Separately, the Iranian Fars news agency reported on Sunday that the Strait of Hormuz would remain under Iran’s management, according to the latest text exchanged between Iran and the United States.
He rejected US President Donald Trump’s announcement to reopen the strait in a “largely negotiated” deal, calling it “incomplete and inconsistent with reality.”
His upbeat message came after Iranian officials said differences remained between the sides and that the dispute over its nuclear program would not be part of initial negotiations. Tehran said it was finalizing a 14-point agreement framework.
Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei noted what he called “a trend toward rapprochement” but said “this does not necessarily mean that we and the United States will reach an agreement on important issues.”
“Our intention was first to draft a memorandum of understanding, a sort of framework agreement made up of 14 clauses,” he told state television.
Baqaei added that he hoped the details of a final agreement could be worked out “within a reasonable period of time between 30 and 60 days” after the framework was finalized.
Iran’s chief negotiator, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, earlier warned that Washington would face a harsh response if it resumed hostilities, after US media raised the prospect of further strikes and Iranian officials accused the US side of making “excessive demands”.
“Our armed forces have rebuilt themselves during the ceasefire period in such a way that if Trump commits another act of madness and restarts the war, it will certainly be more crushing and bitter for the United States than the first day of the war,” Ghalibaf said.
Weeks of negotiations, including historic face-offs held in Islamabad, have still failed to produce a permanent resolution or restore full access to the Strait of Hormuz, choking off large quantities of the world’s oil.
The standoff has left ordinary Iranians in limbo.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said in a call with U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres that Tehran was committed despite “repeated diplomatic betrayals and military aggression against Iran, as well as contradictory positions and repeated excessive demands” from Washington.
Araghchi held a series of diplomatic calls, speaking with his counterparts from Turkey, Iraq, Qatar and Oman, Iran’s official IRNA news agency said.
Qatar’s Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani also spoke with Trump on Saturday, as well as UAE President and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.
An official Qatari statement said Sheikh Tamim and the Saudi prince discussed efforts “aimed at calming the situation and promoting political solutions.”
The apparent breakthrough on the likely memorandum of understanding (MoU) was made during Field Marshal Munir’s visit to Tehran, where he held a series of high-level engagements with Iranian leaders.
His visit was widely seen as a last-ditch effort to seek a diplomatic solution to the Iran-U.S. war.
Since Pakistan began mediating between Tehran and Washington, Islamabad issued perhaps its most positive statement yet on Saturday, signaling significant progress in the talks.
The international news agency Reuters also reported signs of progress in the negotiations. Citing Pakistani sources involved in the negotiations, Reuters said the deal being negotiated was “comprehensive enough to end the war.”
Iran further fueled speculation about an imminent breakthrough when Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson said Tehran was in the “finalization phase” of the memorandum of understanding.
“We are in the finalization phase of this memorandum of understanding,” the spokesperson said, according to the official Iranian news agency IRNA.
“The issues discussed at this stage are generally focused on ending the war. The issue of ending US naval aggression – what they themselves call the naval blockade – and issues related to the release of blocked Iranian assets are among the main issues addressed in this memorandum of understanding,” the spokesperson added.
Sources close to the negotiations previously told The Washington Times that a draft proposal had been approved by top negotiators, including Vice President JD Vance, special envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, and sent to leaders for final approval. Trump’s message appears to confirm that the process is now in its final hours.
The talks would be based on a 14-point document proposed by Iran, which served as the main framework for discussions and messages between the two sides.
Among other provisions, the framework would involve Iran committing to a moratorium on nuclear enrichment, the United States agreeing to lift sanctions and release billions in frozen Iranian funds, and both sides gradually lifting restrictions on transit through the Strait of Hormuz, a waterway through which about 20 percent of the world’s oil usually flows.
The war itself began in February 2026 when US and Israeli strikes targeted Iranian military infrastructure. Iran retaliated across the region and closed the Strait of Hormuz, triggering a global energy shock. In early April, Trump threatened to destroy Iranian civilization entirely, with deadlines set for March 21, then March 23, then April 7, as diplomats scrambled for an opening.
Pakistan provided this opening. On April 8, Islamabad negotiated a two-week conditional ceasefire. Trump confirmed this himself, naming Field Marshal Asim Munir and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif as the Pakistanis who persuaded him to step down. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi was equally warm, publicly thanking Pakistan’s tireless efforts on behalf of the Islamic Republic.
With a ceasefire in place, Pakistan moved quickly to host formal negotiations. On April 11 and 12, delegations from the United States and Iran met at the Islamabad Serena Hotel.
The American team was led by Vice President JD Vance, accompanied by Witkoff and Kushner; Iran sent a delegation led by Parliament Speaker Qalibaf.
Negotiations lasted 21 hours, and although both sides reported progress on most issues, two issues proved intractable: the Strait of Hormuz and Iran’s nuclear program. No agreement was reached. No memorandum was signed.
(With agency input, News Desk)
