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ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Major sections of a potential understanding aimed at ending the war between Iran and the United States are close to completion, Iran’s foreign ministry spokesperson said late Thursday, according to Tehran’s state media. Esmaeil Baghaei’s remarks come as US President Donald Trump announced that Iran’s top echelon has approved “discussions” and that a final agreement could be signed "over the weekend in Europe."
“The text [of the agreement with the US] has almost been finalized in its major parts,” Baghaei was cited as saying by Tehran’s English language broadcaster PressTV, claiming that "the contradictory positions of the United States have always caused turbulence and disruption in this process.”
He reportedly added that while his country entered the negotiations in good faith, US officials “have repeatedly shifted positions, raised unrealistic new demands, and even carried out military attacks during the talks.”
Baghaei further explained that under the prevailing decision-making process in Iran, “the relevant authorities must review every detail” of the agreement, and that once “a final conclusion that serves the interests of the Iranian nation is reached, it will be officially announced.”
In a statement he posted on his Truth Social platform hours earlier, the US president had stated that “discussions with the Islamic Republic of Iran have been brought to the highest level of Iranian leadership and approved,” and that “all involved parties” - including the US, Israel, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Qatar, Turkey, Pakistan, Bahrain, Kuwait, Jordan, Egypt, and others - had also approved the talks and their “final points.”
Speaking to reporters at the Oval Office later that evening, Trump said that the US “just made a great settlement of the war with Iran,” suggesting the signing of an agreement with Tehran could take place "over the weekend in Europe."
Of note, while the details of the proposed deal have yet to be made public, the office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Friday that he had spoken with Trump about what it defined as an “emerging memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Iran to enter into negotiations,” rather than a final agreement.
Netanyahu welcomed “Trump's commitment that the final agreement at the conclusion of negotiations will include the removal of [Iran’s] enriched material, the dismantling of [Tehran’s] enrichment infrastructure, limits on [its] missile production, and the cessation of Iran's support for its terrorist proxies in the region,” the Israeli premier’s office detailed.
The latest statements indicate that the US and Iran may be closer to a breakthrough than at any other point since the outbreak of the six week war.
The US and Israel launched a large-scale aerial campaign against Iran in late February, striking thousands of targets across the country during six weeks of hostilities.
In response, Iran carried out thousands of drone and missile strikes across the Middle East targeting alleged US assets - particularly in Gulf Arab states - as well as launching retaliatory attacks against Israel.
The warring sides agreed to a Pakistan-brokered ceasefire on April 8 to temporarily halt fighting and initiate negotiations, and held the first round of talks in Islamabad on April 11 without reaching a final agreement, though diplomatic efforts continued since.
Alongside the diplomatic efforts, Tehran and Washington have also engaged in reciprocal maritime measures. Iran tightened its control over shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, while the US imposed a naval blockade on Iranian ports beginning April 13.
Notably, Trump on Thursday affirmed that his country’s ongoing naval blockade on Iranian ports “will remain in full force and effect until this Transaction [agreement] is finalized.”
Meanwhile, American website Axios reported on Friday that key points in the proposed understanding include extending the ceasefire by 60 days and reopening the Strait of Hormuz to maritime traffic without transit fees.
Citing a diplomat from one of the mediating countries and a US official, the report added that Iran “would receive sanctions relief” contingent on compliance, and that restrictions on Iran’s uranium enrichment program would be addressed in a separate deal at a later stage.
