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24-05-2026
By SJA Jafri + Agencies
ISLAMABAD/ WASHINGTON/ TEHRAN: United States President Donald Trump has said that a Memorandum of Understanding in ceasefire talks to end the US-Israel war with Iran “has been largely negotiated”.
Trump said on Saturday that the agreement will include reopening the Strait of Hormuz, adding that it remained “subject to finalization” by US and Iranian negotiators and “various other countries”.
The US president made the announcement after holding a call with leaders and officials from Qatar, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Pakistan, Jordan, Egypt, Turkiye, and Bahrain. He said he also held a separate call with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
“Final aspects and details of the Deal are currently being discussed, and will be announced shortly,” he wrote on his Truth Social platform.
Shehbaz Sharif, Pakistan’s prime minister, said his country would continue its efforts to facilitate dialogue between both sides and expressed hope that Islamabad could host future US–Iran talks “very soon”.
Turkiye’s president, Recep Tayyip Erdogan said in a statement after the call that Ankara was pleased with the progress of the talks and that any agreement would facilitate free passage through the Strait of Hormuz, though he did not elaborate on how.
Egypt’s presidency, in a separate statement, urged all parties to seize the diplomatic initiative and reach an agreement.
The announcement was the latest turn in a week that began with Trump threatening Iran that time was running out for an agreement on a more lasting ceasefire. He later told reporters he had been just moments away from resuming attacks, which he then decided to put “on hold” at the behest of Gulf countries.
Trump has since alternated between renewing threats of escalation, including posting a picture on Saturday of Iran covered in a US flag, and saying that a deal was close.
The US president released the statement shortly after Pakistan’s army chief, Asim Munir, concluded a short but “highly productive” visit to Iran on Saturday, according to a statement from Pakistan’s military.
It said that “encouraging progress” had been made towards reaching a final understanding.
Tehran officials have repeatedly voiced wariness over negotiating with the US, which had twice launched military attacks on Iran during talks about its nuclear program.
The US and Israel launched the latest war on February 28, but fighting has largely remained paused as of April 8, barring a handful of flare-ups.
The US has continued to blockade Iran’s ports, with Iran effectively closing the Strait of Hormuz.
Key sticking points on a deal have been the future of Iran’s nuclear program and its influence over the strait, the future of US military presence in the region, and access to frozen Iranian funds.
Tehran says it is reviewing the latest responses from the United States to its proposal to end the nearly three-month US-Israel war on Iran as mediator Pakistan steps up efforts to achieve progress in the talks that US President Donald Trump has warned are on the “borderline” between a deal and renewed strikes.
Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei said late on Wednesday that the Iranians have “received US views and are reviewing them”, according to the Iranian state agency Nour News.
Six weeks after a ceasefire took effect, efforts to bring the war to a permanent end have intensified in recent days as Pakistan’s military chief, Field Marshal Asim Munir, is to travel to Tehran on Thursday for “talks and consultations” with Iranian authorities, Iran’s ISNA news agency reported.
Pakistani Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi arrived in Iran on Wednesday for his second visit in less than a week to discuss Washington’s latest proposal.
Pakistan in April hosted the only direct negotiations between US and Iranian officials since the war began on February 28.
Munir was at the centre of the talks, which ultimately failed as Iran accused the US of making “excessive demands”.
