The US and Iran have “agreed upon the text” of a deal and peace has “never been this close as it is now”, Pakistan’s prime minister has said.
Pakistan has been leading efforts to mediate a deal between the two countries since late March, weeks after the conflict began on February 28.
“Amid ongoing intense mediation efforts by Pakistan, we are fully aware of incessant misinformation campaign being waged by those who want to sabotage the peace deal,” Shehbaz Sharif posted on X on Friday.
“Setting aside the noise, we can confirm that a final, agreed upon text of the peace deal has been reached and Pakistan is now working closely with both sides to finalize the next steps.
“Peace has never been this close as it is now.”
Although neither Iran nor the US have commented on Sharif’s claims, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi posted earlier on Friday that an agreement “has never been closer”.
On his post on X, Aragchi added: “all details will be shared with the public in due course.”
US President Donald Trump shared Araghchi’s post on his own social media page, Truth Social.
Mohammad-Bagher Ghalibaf, speaker of Iran’s parliament, also wrote a cryptic post on X stating that “commitments made must be commitments kept”, adding: “For the close deal ahead, there is no other way. You reap what you sow.”
The apparent breakthrough in negotiations comes after Iran exchanged fire with the US and Israel over three days this week, threatening to return the region to full-scale war.
Trump has said multiple times in recent weeks that the countries were on the cusp of a deal, despite the attacks, which happened even though a ceasefire has been in place since April 7.
Regional officials in Pakistan said the emerging deal is expected to pave the way for reopening the Strait of Hormuz, the phased lifting of sanctions on Iran, and the release of frozen Iranian assets.
These officials spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the negotiations.
A senior US official said there are five key terms in the agreement: Iran’s nuclear material will be destroyed and removed, its nuclear program will be dismantled, none of its frozen money will be released until it meets certain demands, the Strait of Hormuz will be open, and Iran must not fund terrorist groups.
The official spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorised to provide details about the sensitive talks.
The official said that the emerging agreement would begin the process of destroying or removing Tehran’s highly enriched uranium.
The official said the 60 days after both sides sign the deal would be used to work out technical details for removing Iran’s enriched uranium. The official did not detail who the US envisions taking charge of removing the uranium, which is believed to be entombed under three nuclear sites that were battered by US strikes last year.
Underscoring the fragility of the talks, Trump on Friday lashed out at Iranian officials on social media, claiming that terms shared with the country’s media were fake.
“What they said, including their weak and pathetic statement on having a deal, bears no relation to the truth. Very dishonourable people to deal with,” Trump wrote on Truth Social.
US Vice President JD Vance also posted about the deal on Friday, claiming that it “has the potential to remake the region and lead to lasting peace”.
Meanwhile, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has declared that Israel is not party to the deal being negotiated, but said he and Trump were in “full agreement” that Iran must not have nuclear weapons.
Trump spoke on Thursday with Netanyahu to discuss the latest efforts to reach an agreement with Iran, according to a senior US administration official.
The official, who briefed reporters on condition of anonymity under ground rules set by the White House, said that the US administration is stressing to Israeli officials that any deal will require Iran to begin delivering on concessions in the deal before Tehran receives any potential benefits from the settlement.
Iran has insisted that any deal to end the war must also end fighting in Lebanon between its ally militia Hezbollah and Israel.
Araghchi told Iranian state TV on Friday that both sides were working toward signing an initial agreement declaring an end to the war “on all fronts, including Lebanon.”
Netanyahu has appeared to be intent on pursuing his goal of destroying the militant group, which has so-far complicated the negotiations between Iran and the US.
The deal was largely being brokered by Pakistan, led by its army chief Field Marshal Asim Munir, the regional officials said, with backing from Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Egypt, and Qatar.
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