Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif yesterday said that the final text of a US-Iran peace deal had been agreed.
“We can confirm that a final, agreed-upon text of the peace deal has been reached and Pakistan is now working closely with both sides to finalise the next steps,” Sharif posted on X.
He tagged both the US and Iranian presidents and other leaders from both countries. “Peace has never been as close as it is now,” he said.
“Amid ongoing intense mediation efforts by Pakistan, we are also fully aware of incessant misinformation campaign being waged by those who want to sabotage the peace deal,” Sharif added.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi yesterday insisted that a deal with the United States to end the war in the Middle East had never been closer, after US President Donald Trump furiously accused Tehran of negotiating in bad faith.
President Trump reposted Araghchi’s statement, which also asked the media not to speculate about the content of the deal.
Meanwhile, confusion persisted throughout the day over the terms of the proposed agreement.
Iranian media published details of the alleged deal, prompting Trump to say they had ‘nothing to do with the terms that were agreed to’.
Iran’s Mehr news agency said the memorandum included the lifting of a US naval blockade and ‘at least $300bn’ to address the damage caused by the US and Israeli strikes on Iran.
It added that ‘final negotiations shall not begin until half of Iran’s frozen assets have been released, Iranian oil sanctions have been suspended, and the naval blockade has been lifted’.
The reports further indicated that ‘final negotiations’ on Iran’s nuclear programme and economic issues would take place at a later stage, but without any discussion of Iran’s missile programme.
However, President Trump lashed out at Iran and said ‘their weak and pathetic statement on having a deal, bears no relation to the truth’.
A senior US official, describing the agreement, said Iran’s stockpile of highly enriched uranium ‘will be destroyed and removed’ and Iran’s nuclear programme would be dismantled. The terms also include an inspection regime to ensure it is enforceable in the long term.
“None of their money released until they perform. Strait of Hormuz will be open. No Iran funding of terrorist groups,” said the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity. “This is what they have agreed to. This is a performance-based deal.”
US Vice-President JD Vance added his voice in a post on X, saying he had noticed ‘a couple of bizarre things in the reporting over the last few hours’.
“Iranians are not receiving any cash, and no funds are being released for simply signing a deal or attending a meeting,” Vance said.
He added that the deal ‘is structured to ensure that the US and its allies’ concerns are prioritised, and that if the Islamic Republic of Iran meets its obligations, then economic benefits will flow to them and to the entire region’.
Another senior US administration official said the odds of a deal being signed was between 80 per cent to 85pc.
He added that delays were because of complexities and ‘internal fractures’ within Iran’s government. He downplayed Iranian reporting on the deal, arguing that it is aimed at a domestic audience and contains “inaccuracies”.
The source said that the memorandum could be signed as soon as tomorrow by Vance and Iran’s parliament speaker, Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf, with Geneva seen as the likeliest venue.
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