Iran and the US are inching closer to signing an interim agreement aimed at ending the war after Pakistan’s Chief of Defence Forces and Army Chief, Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir, undertook what is being described as the most consequential trip during the ongoing mediation efforts.
While there was no formal announcement yet from either side regarding a breakthrough, there were enough indications suggesting that an interim deal was not far off.
US President Donald Trump said a deal with Iran had been “largely negotiated”, with the proposal including opening the crucial Strait of Hormuz, though the agreement was “subject to finalisation”.
“An Agreement has been largely 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 East powers along with Turkey and mediator Pakistan.
“In addition to many other elements of the Agreement, the Strait of Hormuz will be opened.”
Among the Middle East countries whose leaders joined a call on Saturday to discuss the deal were Saudi Arabia, 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 it “likewise, went very well.”
“Final aspects and details of the Deal are currently being discussed, and will be announced shortly,” Trump said.
Meanwhile, Iran’s Fars news agency reported on Sunday the Strait of Hormuz would remain under Iran’s management according to the latest exchanged text between Iran and the US.
It dismissed US President Donald Trump’s announcement of reopening the strait as part of a “largely negotiated” deal as “incomplete and inconsistent with reality”.
His optimistic post came after Iranian officials said gaps remained between the parties, and that the dispute over its nuclear program would not be part of the initial talks. Tehran said it was finalizing a 14-point framework for a deal.
Iranian foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei noted what he called “a trend towards rapprochement” but said “it does not necessarily mean that we and the United States will reach an agreement on the important issues”.
“Our intention was first to draft a memorandum of understanding, a kind of framework agreement composed of 14 clauses,” he said on state television.
Baqaei added that he hoped the details of a final agreement could be worked out “within a reasonable timeframe between 30 to 60 days” after the framework is finalized.
Iran’s chief negotiator Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf had warned earlier that Washington would face a tough response if it resumes hostilities, after US media reports raised the prospect of new 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 folly and restarts the war, it will certainly be more crushing and bitter for the United States than on the first day of the war,” Ghalibaf said.
Weeks of negotiations, including historic face-to-face talks hosted by Islamabad, have still not produced a permanent resolution or restored full access to the Strait of Hormuz, choking vast quantities of global oil supply.
The impasse has left ordinary Iranians in limbo.
Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said in a call with UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres that Tehran was engaged despite “repeated betrayals of diplomacy and military aggression against Iran, along with contradictory positions and repeated excessive demands” by Washington.
Araghchi held a bevy of diplomatic calls, speaking with counterparts from Turkey, Iraq, Qatar and Oman, Iran’s official IRNA news agency said.
Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani also spoke with Trump on Saturday, as well as with the UAE president and Saudi Arabia’s 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 reached during the visit of Field Marshal Munir to Tehran, where he held a series of high-level engagements with the Iranian leadership.
His visit was widely seen as the final push to seek a diplomatic solution to the Iran-US war.
Since Pakistan began mediating between Tehran and Washington, Islamabad on Saturday issued perhaps its most positive statement yet, signalling meaningful progress in the talks.
International news agency Reuters also reported signs of progress in the talks. Citing Pakistani sources involved in the negotiations, Reuters said the deal being negotiated was “fairly comprehensive to terminate the war.”
Iran further fuelled speculation about an imminent breakthrough when the spokesperson for the Iranian Foreign Ministry said Tehran was in the “finalization stage” of the memorandum of understanding.
“We are in the finalization stage of this memorandum of understanding,” the spokesperson said, according to Iran’s official news agency IRNA.
“The issues that are being discussed at this stage are generally focused on ending the war. The issue of ending the US naval aggression – what they themselves refer to as 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 had earlier 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 sign-off. Trump’s post appeared to confirm that process was now in its final hours.
Talks reportedly hinge on a 14-point document proposed by Iran, which has 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 roughly 20 per cent of the world’s oil ordinarily 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. By early April, Trump was threatening to destroy Iranian civilisation entirely, deadlines set for March 21, then March 23, then April 7, as diplomats scrambled for an opening.
Pakistan provided that opening. On April 8, Islamabad brokered a conditional two-week ceasefire. Trump confirmed it himself, naming Field Marshal Asim Munir and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif as the Pakistanis who had persuaded him to stand 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 swiftly to host formal negotiations. On April 11 and 12, delegations from the United States and Iran convened at the Islamabad Serena Hotel.
The US team was led by Vice President JD Vance, accompanied by Witkoff and Kushner; Iran sent a delegation headed by Parliament Speaker Qalibaf.
The talks ran for 21 hours and while both sides reported progress on most points, two issues proved intractable: the Strait of Hormuz and Iran’s nuclear programme. No agreement was reached. No memorandum was signed.
(With input from Agencies, News Desk)Latest News, Breaking News & Top News Stories | The Express TribuneKamran YousafRead More