Iran and the United States are closer than ever to agreeing a peace deal to bring an end to the war, sources have claimed, with Donald Trump declaring there have been “good talks over the last 24 hours”.
The White House is currently awaiting Tehran’s response to a one-page memorandum of understanding (MOU) aimed at ending the war and setting a framework for future nuclear negotiations, Axios reported.
Some officials in the US, who expect a response before the weekend, told the outlet that the two sides are “not far, but there is no deal yet”.
Trump himself is confident: “They [Iran] want to make a deal. We’ve had very good talks over the last 24 hours and it’s very possible that we’ll make a deal up there,” he said, adding: “I think we won.”
Iranian foreign ministry spokesperson Ismail Baghaei said the proposal is being reviewed by Iran who will inform Pakistani mediators of its opinion, according to ISNA news agency.
The MOU is being hashed out between Iranian officials and Trump’s envoys, Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner.
In its current form, it would end the war and begin a 30-day negotiation period for a detailed agreement on a peace deal.
It would involve Tehran committing to a moratorium on nuclear enrichment, while the US would lift its sanctions on the Iranian regime, releasing billions in frozen Iranian funds.
Both sides would eventually lift their blockades in and around the Strait of Hormuz, allowing ships to transit freely through the waterway, through which one fifth of the world’s crude oil passes.
The negotiations are likely to happen in either Islamabad or Geneva, two sources told Axios.
Last Month, Washington received a 10-point proposal from Iran which Trump described as a “workable basis on which to negotiate”.
Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, the country’s top security body, then published a list of points it said Washington had agreed to and “in principle, committed to”. These included:
Dismantling Iran’s nuclear programme has been one of the White House’s central aims in its war on Iran, launched on 28 February.
The president has warned Iran to stop enriching its uranium, which can be turned into nuclear weapons, and the White House last month said Iran has indicated it would turn over its existing stocks.
