Iran war day 105: US and Iran signal a peace deal is close

A potential breakthrough in negotiations between the US and Iran appeared closer, with Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif saying that a “final, agreed upon text” of a peace deal had been reached and that the remaining “next steps” would soon be finalised.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi echoed that optimism on Friday, saying a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Washington had “never been closer”.

The latest comments came amid new tension as US President Donald Trump condemned Iran following extensive reporting by Iranian media on the terms being discussed.

Here is what has happened:

In Iran

• Trump calls off planned Iran attacks: Hours after warning that Iran would be hit “very hard” and threatening attacks on Kharg Island and other oil facilities, Trump said he had cancelled the planned strikes, saying negotiations had reached a breakthrough. In a Truth Social post on Thursday, Trump said discussions had been elevated to Iran’s top leadership and that the “final points” of an agreement had been approved by all parties involved, including the US and several regional allies.
• Tehran says the sacrifices of war were worth it: Reporting from Tehran, Al Jazeera’s Mohamed Vall said many Iranians would be relieved to see the conflict end after months of hardship and loss. But the government is also trying to sell a potential deal as a victory, telling people that “it is worth the suffering” because Iran could come out of the war “in much stronger shape”, with the possibility of sanctions being lifted and assets unfrozen.
• Iran’s Araghchi says MoU with US has ‘never been closer’: Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said on Friday that a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the US had “never been closer”, hours after Trump criticised Tehran over reports that details of the proposed agreement had been leaked to Iranian media.
• No final agreement yet: Al Jazeera’s Almigdad Alruhaid said Iranian officials have, for the first time, acknowledged that the “main body of the text” has been largely finalised. But they rejected reports about when and where any deal could be signed, describing them as “media speculation”. “Diplomacy is still alive from the Iranian perspective,” said Alruhaid but “there is no final agreement and no deadline”.

War diplomacy

• Back to the negotiating table: Analyst Negar Mortazavi said the US has ended up “back at square one” after the war with Iran, arguing that Trump “achieved none of his goals”. “He launched the most pointless Middle East war,” she told Al Jazeera, adding that the conflict strengthened Iran’s military, created new problems around the Strait of Hormuz and ultimately brought Washington back to negotiations with Tehran.
• A potential ‘great achievement’ for the region: Defence analyst Wolfgang Pusztai said it is still too early to know whether a lasting agreement can be reached, but an unconditional reopening of the Strait of Hormuz would mark “a major step forward”. “If this agreement works, this is certainly a great achievement for the whole region,” he told Al Jazeera. “If it does not work, I expect some more limited American strikes.”

In the US

• Expert says Trump used an ‘escalate to de-escalate’ strategy: Richard Weitz, an international security expert at the NATO Defense College, told Al Jazeera that Trump’s threats to intensify the conflict may have been aimed at forcing a diplomatic breakthrough. The strategy is to “threaten to escalate” a conflict “in order to force an end to it”. However, Weitz cautioned that “we still have a bit of uncertainty over what precisely was agreed and how it will be implemented”.
• Trump accuses Iran of negotiating in ‘bad faith’: Trump criticised Iran after Iranian media reported details of a proposed peace agreement, insisting the leaked terms had “NOTHING to do with the terms that were agreed to in writing”. Calling Iranian officials “very dishonorable people to deal with”, Trump said there was “no such thing as dealing in good faith” with Tehran and warned: “They better get their act together, and FAST!”
• Trump’s remarks hint at a written draft: Reporting from the White House, Al Jazeera’s Kimberly Halkett says Trump’s angry response to the reported leaks may reveal more than intended. By insisting the leaked details had “nothing to do with the terms agreed to”, Trump appeared to confirm that some form of written memorandum of understanding exists. “This is an important line,” Halkett said, suggesting there is a draft agreement containing explicit details, even as both sides dispute what its contents actually are.

In Lebanon

• Hezbollah says it carried out 24 attacks on Israeli forces: The Lebanese armed group said early on Friday that it launched a series of drone, missile and rocket attacks on Israeli soldiers, armoured vehicles and military positions across southern Lebanon and the Bekaa Valley between Wednesday and Thursday. Hezbollah said it repeatedly struck troop concentrations near Tayr Harfa, and attacked Israeli forces in Naqoura, al-Qaouzah, Rashaf, Qantara, Zawtar al-Sharqiyah and Yohmor al-Shaqif.
• Lebanon should not assume it is covered by any deal: Reporting from Beirut, Al Jazeera’s Heidi Pett said it is “extraordinarily dangerous” to assume that Lebanon is part of any emerging US-Iran agreement. She notes that Israel has made clear it does not see itself as bound by the talks and recalls that, after Lebanon was believed to be included in the April 8 ceasefire announcement, the country instead endured “100 Israeli strikes within the span of 10 minutes” on its deadliest day of the war. “There has been no announcement yet – nothing on paper, no media leaks,” Pett said, warning that expectations of relief remain premature.