The US, Iran finalized the text of the agreement, said the Prime Minister of Pakistan, the next steps are not clear – nationally
Pakistan’s prime minister said on Friday that the United States and Iran had agreed to draft an agreement aimed at ending their conflict in the Middle East and that mediators were working with both sides to finalize the deal.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said the US and Iran had reached a “final, agreed upon.” He said that Pakistan, which has been at the forefront of mediation efforts, is working with the warring countries on the next steps.
“Peace has never been as close as it is now,” Sharif said in a post on X.
The apparent breakthrough in the talks comes after Iran traded blows with the US and Israel over three days this week, threatening to return the Middle East to total war.
Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said on Friday that the agreement “is never close” to the writing of XUS President Donald Trump, who has said several times in recent weeks that the countries are on the verge of an agreement, shared Araghchi’s post on social media.
The war launched by the US and Israel on Feb. 28 has rocked the Middle East and nearly shut down oil and natural gas exports from the Persian Gulf. A soft suspension has been in place since April 7.
An Iranian official says nuclear details will follow a deal to end the war
Araghchi told Iranian state TV on Friday that the two sides were working to sign a preliminary agreement declaring an end to the war “on all sides, including Lebanon.”
Israel has been fighting Iranian-allied Hezbollah forces in Lebanon since early March. Israel is not participating in the talks between the US and Iran, and its leaders say they do not plan to withdraw from Lebanon.
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Araghchi said the terms regarding Iran’s nuclear program will be finalized 60 days after the initial agreement is signed.
He said the parties could agree to extend that period.
Iran’s nuclear program has been a key point of departure. The US and Israel fear it could lead to an atomic weapon – the main reason their leaders have cited for going to war. Tehran has insisted that its nuclear efforts are for peaceful purposes.
A senior US administration official, who spoke to reporters on condition of anonymity under ground rules set by the White House, said on Friday the emerging deal would begin the process of destroying or removing Tehran’s most enriched uranium.
The official said the 60-day period after the two sides signed the agreement would be used to obtain technical details for extracting Iran’s enriched uranium. The official did not specify who the US thinks will take charge of removing the uranium, which is believed to have been buried under three nuclear sites that were hit by US strikes last year.
Another important factor is Iran’s successful closure of the Strait of Hormuz, a key shipping route for oil and natural gas. The disruption to this route has reduced global energy supplies, pushed up fuel prices and made food and other staples more expensive beyond the region.
The US official said the emerging agreement also includes provisions to reopen the flow.
Araghchi said Iran is seeking an agreement that allows Tehran to charge ships for “activities” when passing through the Strait of Hormuz. Iran has imposed a wartime sanctions program, which the US and other nations say violates international law.
“There will be costs,” Araghchi said, “and those costs must be paid.”
Officials say an agreement could be signed in the coming days
Three regional officials said the emerging deal is expected to include a partial lifting of sanctions on Iran and the release of frozen Iranian assets. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the discussions.
They said they expected a signing ceremony for the deal in the coming days after officials in Washington and Tehran approved it.
Trump on Thursday said significant progress had been made in the talks, hours after he threatened to escalate attacks and seize Iran’s oil industry.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said that Israel is not part of the deal being negotiated. In a statement on Friday, he said he and Trump were in “full agreement” that Iran should not have nuclear weapons.
Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said in a separate statement that Israel expects Trump to respect Israel’s core interests, including weakening Iran’s missile program and proxy network.
Katz warned that Israel can still stand up against Iran and that the country will not withdraw from its territories in Lebanon, Syria and Gaza, and will not withdraw from the refugee camps in the northern West Bank occupied by Israel.
The agreement was largely sponsored by Pakistan, led by army chief Field Marshal Asim Munir, regional officials said, with the support of Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Egypt and Qatar.
Price reported from Washington and Bynum reported from Savannah, Georgia. Associated Press reporters Sahar Ameri in Berlin, Julia Frankel in Jerusalem, and Collin Binkley and Aamer Madhani in Washington contributed.
© 2026 The Canadian Press
