Pakistani Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar said on Sunday that "meaningful progress" had been made in the US-Iran talks, giving reason for optimism that a positive and lasting outcome was within reach.
Earlier in the day, Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif congratulated US President Donald Trump on what he described as "extraordinary efforts" to achieve peace. He added that Pakistan remained committed to the talks and hoped to host their next round soon.
Trump had already indicated on Saturday that a memorandum of understanding on a peace deal with Iran was "largely negotiated" and would open the Strait of Hormuz. He did not say what else the deal would contain.
Two Pakistani sources involved in the negotiations said the deal being prepared was "fairly comprehensive to terminate the war".
"Final aspects and details of the Deal are currently being discussed, and will be announced shortly", Trump wrote on Truth Social.
Iran confirmed on Saturday that it was working on a memorandum of understanding to end the war, following talks between its top officials and Asim Munir, Pakistan's army chief, whose forces have been brokering the negotiations. Fars news agency reported early on Sunday, however, that the deal would allow Iran to manage the Strait of Hormuz and that Trump's account of it was "inconsistent with reality."
Iran's Priorities: End the Attacks, Lift the Blockade
Trump spoke on Saturday with the leaders of Saudi Arabia, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Jordan, Egypt, Turkey and Pakistan, all of whom urged him to agree to the nascent framework, according to Axios.
Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan said Ankara was ready to provide whatever support was needed to implement a deal, adding that free passage through the Strait of Hormuz would promote regional stability and bring relief to the global economy.
Trump wrote on Truth Social that a separate call with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had also gone "very well".
"The trend this week has been towards a reduction in disputes, but there are still issues that need to be discussed through mediators. We will have to wait and see where the situation ends in the next three or four days", said Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmail Baghaei.
Iran's core demands remain an end to the US blockade of its ports, surveillance rights over the Strait of Hormuz and the lifting of sanctions on Iranian oil sales.
Baghaei said the US blockade of Iranian shipping was a significant concern, but that Tehran's more pressing priority was ending the threat of further US attacks and the continuing conflict in Lebanon, where Iran-aligned Hezbollah militants are fighting Israeli troops in the country's south.
Pakistani army chief Munir left Tehran on Saturday after meeting chief Iranian negotiator Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf and Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi.
Iran's armed forces had rebuilt their capabilities during the ceasefire and were ready to respond with greater force if the US resumed hostilities, Qalibaf warned, saying the consequences would be "more forceful and bitter" than at the start of the conflict.
Reuters reports that despite weeks of fighting, Iran has retained stockpiles of uranium enriched close to weapons grade, as well as missile, drone and air defense capabilities.
What We Know About the Emerging Deal
Axios reported late on Saturday that the US and Iran were close to a deal under which the Strait of Hormuz would reopen free of charge during a 60-day ceasefire extension, Iran would be free to sell oil and negotiations would begin to curb its nuclear program.
In return, the US would lift its blockade on Iranian ports and grant limited exemptions from sanctions on Iranian oil.
The draft also commits Iran never to pursue nuclear weapons and to negotiate both a suspension of its uranium enrichment program and the elimination of its highly enriched uranium stockpile, Axios reported.
The New York Times, citing two unnamed US officials, reported that the proposed deal contains an "apparent commitment" by Iran to surrender its highly enriched uranium, with the details to be worked out in the next round of negotiations.
Trump has cited various war aims during the three-month conflict but has consistently maintained that the US attacked Iran to prevent it from acquiring nuclear weapons. Iran denies seeking such weapons and asserts its right to enrich uranium for civilian purposes.
Reuters, citing sources familiar with the talks, reported that the proposed framework would unfold in three stages: a formal end to the war, a resolution of the Strait of Hormuz crisis and the opening of a 30-day negotiating period on a broader agreement, which could be extended.
A Pakistani source said further negotiations could follow the Muslim holiday of Eid on Friday, if the US accepted the memorandum.
Trump, who said on Friday that he would not attend his son's wedding over the weekend, cited Iran as one of his reasons for remaining in Washington.
Trump: "We Get Everything We Want" or No Deal
In an interview with CBS News on Saturday, Trump said US and Iranian negotiators were "getting a lot closer" to a deal, which he said would prevent Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon and ensure its enriched uranium was "satisfactorily handled".
"I will only sign a deal where we get everything we want", he told the network.
Speaking separately to Axios, Trump said he would review the latest draft with his advisers on Saturday and could decide by Sunday whether to resume the war. "Either we reach a good deal or I'll blow them to a thousand hells", he said.
Against the backdrop of the emerging deal, Iran on Sunday executed a man on charges of passing information to the US and Israel during the war. The Mizan news agency, which is owned by the Iranian judiciary, identified him as Mojtaba Kian and reported that he had passed data on Iran's defense industry to the "enemy".
Tehran Draws a Line on Nuclear Talks
Iran's semi-official Tasnim news agency, meanwhile, reported that any memorandum of understanding would include an end to hostilities on all fronts, with Washington waiving sanctions on Iranian oil during negotiations.
Iran had not yet accepted any conditions on its nuclear program, Tasnim added, with procedures related to the Strait of Hormuz subject to a 30-day timeline and nuclear talks to a 60-day one.
A senior Iranian source told Reuters on Sunday that Tehran has not agreed to hand over its highly enriched uranium stockpile. The source said Iran's nuclear issue was not part of the preliminary agreement with the United States.
"The nuclear issue will be addressed in negotiations for a final agreement and are therefore not part of the current deal. There has been no agreement over Iran's highly enriched uranium stockpile to be shipped out of the country", said the source.
(reuters, luc)