Trump says Iran deal framework largely agreed as Hormuz talks advance

US President Donald Trump said on Saturday that a memorandum of understanding for a peace deal with Iran had been “largely negotiated”, as Washington, Tehran and mediators in Pakistan reported progress towards a possible end to the conflict.

Trump said on social media that the emerging framework would include the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, the crucial shipping route whose closure has disrupted global energy markets since the conflict began in February, when the United States and Israel launched strikes on Iran.

He gave few details of what the proposed agreement would contain, saying only that the “final aspects and details” were still being discussed and would be announced soon.

Iran’s Fars news agency, however, cast doubt on Trump’s account early on Sunday, saying any agreement would allow Iran to manage the Strait of Hormuz. It described Trump’s claim that a deal was close to completion as “inconsistent with reality”.

Iran had said earlier on Saturday that it was working towards a memorandum of understanding setting out a path to end the war after senior officials met Pakistan’s army chief, Asim Munir.

Pakistan’s army said the talks had produced “encouraging” progress towards a final understanding. Two Pakistani sources involved in the negotiations said the proposed deal was “fairly comprehensive” and aimed at ending the war.

Sources told Reuters that the framework under discussion would move in three phases: formally ending the war, resolving the crisis over the Strait of Hormuz, and opening a 30-day window for wider negotiations, with the possibility of an extension.

Earlier on Saturday, Trump told Axios that he expected to decide on Sunday whether to resume attacks on Iran. “Either we reach a good deal or I’ll blow them to a thousand hells,” Axios quoted him as saying.

One Pakistani source cautioned that there was still no guarantee Washington would accept the memorandum. If the US does agree, the source said, it would pave the way for further talks after the Eid holiday ends on Friday.

Trump speaks with regional leaders

Trump, whose approval ratings have been hit by the effect of the war on US energy prices, said on Friday he would skip his son’s wedding over the weekend, citing Iran as one reason he planned to remain in Washington.

He wrote on Truth Social that he had spoken by phone on Saturday with leaders from Saudi Arabia, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Jordan, Egypt, Turkey and Pakistan. Axios reported that the leaders had urged Trump to accept the emerging framework.

Pakistan has sought to narrow differences between Iran and the United States after weeks of war left the Strait of Hormuz closed to most shipping, despite a fragile ceasefire.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, speaking earlier on Saturday during a visit to India, repeated Trump’s conditions for ending the fighting.

“Iran can never have a nuclear weapon. The straits need to be open without tolls. They need to turn over their enriched uranium,” Rubio said.

He added that some progress had been made and that work was continuing.

“Even as I speak to you now, there’s some work being done. There is a chance that, whether it’s later today, tomorrow, in a couple days, we may have something to say,” Rubio told reporters in New Delhi.

US Vice President JD Vance returned to the White House on Saturday afternoon, cutting short a trip to Ohio.

Iran denies seeking nuclear weapons and says it has the right to enrich uranium for civilian purposes. Tehran has demanded supervision of the strait, an end to the US blockade on its ports, and the lifting of sanctions on Iranian oil sales.

Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmail Baghaei said the direction of talks this week had been towards reducing disputes, but warned that several issues still had to be addressed through mediators.

“We will have to wait and see where the situation ends in the next three or four days,” Baghaei said.

He said the US blockade on Iranian shipping remained an important issue, but Tehran’s priority was ending the threat of renewed US attacks and the continuing conflict in Lebanon, where Iran-allied Hezbollah militants are fighting Israeli troops in the south.

Munir left Tehran on Saturday after talks with Iran’s top negotiator Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf and Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi.

Qalibaf said Iran would continue to pursue its “legitimate rights” both on the battlefield and through diplomacy, but said Tehran could not trust “a party that has no honesty at all”, repeating an accusation Iran has made several times before.

He said Iran’s armed forces had rebuilt their capabilities during the ceasefire and warned that if the US “foolishly restarts the war”, the consequences would be “more forceful and bitter” than at the start of the conflict.

Despite weeks of fighting, Iran has retained its stockpile of near-weapons-grade enriched uranium, along with its missile, drone and proxy capabilities.