Iran, US near understanding to end war: Officials
The United States and Iran are close to agreeing on a memorandum of understanding aimed at ending the war, two regional officials and a diplomat said Saturday, as the United States has weighed a new round of attacks on the Islamic Republic.
Iran signalled “narrowing differences” in negotiations with the US after Pakistan’s army chief held more talks in Tehran, and US Secretary of State Marco Rubio told journalists in India that “there’s been some progress made” and “there may be news later today.” The officials and diplomats expressed hope that a final decision on the Pakistan-prepared draft could come within 48 hours as both sides review it.
They spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to brief the media.
They said Vice President JD Vance and envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner played significant roles in helping bridge remaining gaps, and that Qatar played a key role by sending a senior official to Tehran to support Pakistan’s mediation efforts.
Still, both Iran and the US emphasised their key positions and have warned of the risks of resuming attacks. Iran state TV quoted Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmail Baghaei as describing the draft as a “framework agreement” and adding: “We want this to include the main issues required for ending the imposed war and other issues of essential importance to us. Then, over a reasonable time span, between 30 and 60 days, details are discussed, and ultimately a final agreement is reached.”
He said the Strait of Hormuz is among the topics discussed.
Positions have moved closer in recent days, Iran’s official IRNA news agency quoted Baghaei as saying.
“Over the past week, the trend has been toward narrowing differences,” he said. “We will have to wait and see what happens over the next three or four days.”
Baghaei said nuclear issues are not part of the current negotiations, as Tehran first seeks to end the war before discussing its nuclear program that has long been at the heart of international tensions.
