Iranian foreign minister Abbas Araghchi on Friday hinted at the peace deal with the US nearing its finalisation even as President Donald Trump said that reports circulating about the terms of an Iran deal were false. Track updates on Iran-US conflict
“The Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding has never been closer. Pending its finalization, the media should refrain from entering speculation about its content,” Araghchi wrote in a post on X.
Araghchi’s statement comes hours after Trump accused Iran of spreading “fake news” about a possible peace agreement as he also blamed Iranian forces of carrying out a drone attack that hit oil tankers with Indian crew onboard, leading to death of three Indian men near Strait of Hormuz.
Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif also hinted at the deal being closer in a post on X. “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 finalize the next steps. Peace has never been this close as it is now,” Sharif wrote on X.
Tensions between Iran and the US flared up once again on Wednesday after nearly two months of a fragile truce as the two sides resumed strikes in the Middle East.
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Hopes of a peace deal after fresh escalation
Following two days of escalated tensions, Trump on Thursday claimed a diplomatic breakthrough in talks aimed at ending the Iran war. Meanwhile, US officials have said that the US and Iran are close to signing an agreement aimed at ending their war, The Associated Press reported. The report quoted a senior US official saying that the tentative deal includes terms for removing and destroying nuclear material from Iran.
The officials added that the potential deal, which looks closer, is expected to pave the way for reopening the Strait of Hormuz, the phased lifting of sanctions on Iran, and the release of frozen Iranian assets
The terms of the deal also include Iran agreeing not to fund terrorist groups, the official said, AP reported.
However, as reports suggested that the memorandum of understanding for the peace agreement between Tehran and Washington includes an extension of the ceasefire, reopening of the Strait of Hormuz and a framework for further talks on the Islamic Republic’s nuclear programme, Iran urged the media to avoid speculating about the contents of the agreement, stating that details of the agreement would be made public once the process reaches its conclusion.
