US President Donald Trump said on Saturday (23) that a broader agreement between the United States and Iran has been “largely negotiated” and that the Strait of Hormuz will be reopened, signaling possible progress towards ending the months-long war.
“One, subject to finalization, between the United States of America, the Islamic Republic of Iran and several other countries,” wrote Trump in a post on the social network Truth Social.
Iranian state news agency Fars, reporting that the Strait of Hormuz will remain under Iranian control, according to the latest version of the proposal exchanged between Washington and Tehran.
Recent versions of the memorandum of understanding show the U.S. president appears close to finalizing an end to hostilities with Iran while gradually reopening the Strait of Hormuz and ending the U.S. blockade of Iranian ports, according to a person familiar with the matter.
The deal would unlock some Iranian assets held in banks outside Iran and begin at least a 30-day window for ongoing negotiations aimed at resolving remaining points of friction over Iran’s nuclear program, including what will happen to Tehran’s stockpile of near-war-grade enriched uranium.
Trump said final details were still being ironed out and that it remained possible that some aspects of the memo could change.
Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif congratulated Trump on his , but did not mention any agreement or the Strait of Hormuz. Islamabad has been a key mediator in negotiations between Washington and Tehran.
Instead, he mentioned a “very useful and productive phone call” Trump had with , represented by the country’s military chief, Asim Munir.
“The discussions provided a useful opportunity to exchange views on the current regional situation and how to advance ongoing peace efforts,” Sharif added.
The Fars news agency said Trump’s statements about reopening the strait were “not true” and “inconsistent with reality.”
“Although Iran has agreed to allow the number of passing vessels to return to pre-war levels, this in no way means ‘free passage’ as it existed before the war,” the agency reported.
Trump said his call with regional leaders involved negotiations on Iran and what he described as a memorandum of understanding tied to “PEACE.”
The leaders urged the US president during the call to accept the proposed framework with Iran, according to a person briefed on the discussion, who described the conversation as encouraging. Another regional source characterized the talks as positive.
“The call was very positive. We are making good progress. Regional leaders supported the progress and advancement that President Trump has achieved in negotiations,” he told CNN a regional diplomat present on the call.
Trump said he had a separate call with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu “which, similarly, was very successful.”
“The final aspects and details of the Agreement are being discussed and will be announced soon. In addition to many other elements of the Agreement, the Strait of Hormuz will be opened,” he said.
Israel’s main concern is that there will be a limited interim agreement that extends the ceasefire, opens the Strait of Hormuz and gradually eases sanctions against Iran, without addressing the most critical issues for Israel — Tehran’s nuclear program and uranium enrichment, an Israeli source said. The US continued to reassure Israel on the uranium issue.
Netanyahu will convene a restricted security consultation with selected ministers and security officials to discuss developments in negotiations with Iran, the source told CNN.
Trump, in a phone interview with Axios, described the chances of reaching a deal with Iran as “a solid 50/50” ahead of the call with leaders from the Gulf and elsewhere, adding that he could decide by Sunday whether to resume military action.
The president said negotiations could lead to a “good” deal or result in the US deciding to “destroy everything.”
American and Iranian officials suggested they may be closer to a preliminary agreement to end the war, after mediators from Qatar and Pakistan held talks in Tehran on Saturday.
A regional source said the US and Iran are moving closer to an agreement to work on a more detailed pact in the future.
Trump told Axios he also planned to speak with envoy Steve Witkoff and adviser Jared Kushner, his son-in-law. The Vice President of the United States, JD Vance, in turn, was seen arriving at the White House on Saturday.
Previously, Iranian officials said Tehran would focus on ending fighting, including between Israel and the Iran-backed Hezbollah group, and releasing its frozen assets abroad. Tehran has long sought to separate immediate peace talks from negotiations over its nuclear capabilities.
After meetings in Tehran on Friday (22) and Saturday, Pakistan’s military chief, Munir, left for Islamabad in the late afternoon local time. The Pakistani military said the visit was “highly productive”, adding that the talks “contributed significantly to the mediation process”.
“The intense negotiations over the past 24 hours have resulted in encouraging progress towards a final understanding,” the army said in a statement.
Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmail Baghaei said that deadlines of 30 and 60 days were included in the text of the memorandum, but that it has not yet been finalized.
“Over the last week, views have been getting closer,” he said.
“We must wait and see what happens in the next three or four days,” he added.
Baghaei said that any mechanism regarding the Strait of Hormuz must be agreed between Iran, Oman and countries bordering the waterway, and that the United States “has nothing to do” with it.
Iran’s chief negotiator, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, struck a defiant tone after his talks with Munir, warning that Iran “will not back down from the rights of our nation and country, especially when dealing with a party that has never demonstrated sincerity and in which there is no trust.”
“Our armed forces have rebuilt themselves during the ceasefire in such a way that if Trump makes the mistake of restarting the war, it will certainly be more devastating and bitter for the United States than the first day of the war,” Ghalibaf added, according to a report by Iranian state broadcaster.
(With input from Tal Shalev, Mitchell McCluskey, Nic Robertson, Matthew Chance, Becky Anderson, Emily Condon, Billy Stockwell, Aleena Fayaz, Jeremy Diamond, and Laura Sharman of CNN)
